Across the Ice
by GreenBrightEyes
Summary: Modern AU Hockey!Anna and FigureSkater!Elsa. Anna is a junior in high school, struggling to forget her past and keep control of her present. When a new platinum-blonde student skates into her life, they both have to figure out what is most important, and which sacrifices are worth making. Elsanna but not icest. Rated M for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Author:

I promise I'm not abandoning The Freeze Festival, I just needed to get the start of this AU off my chest. I've been heavily influenced by the Olympics lately and couldn't help but start this up. Hopefully you all enjoy it!

* * *

Anna stared at the sky in disbelief.

It had been the driest season on record, and today, of all days, it decided to dump a load of snow.

The auburn wasn't dressed for the suddenly frigid weather (and neither were the other students who were currently racing to their cars) and wrapped her green scarf tighter around her neck. All she had to do was make it to the ice rink across the street, and even though she was only wearing a pair of flats, jeans and a light pullover sporting the 'Arendelle Elks High School' insignia, the snow was already beginning to build up on the roads and sidewalk.

And to make it worse, she was already late.

Hockey practice started promptly at 5pm, but of course, she had study hall after school for failing to do her Norwegian homework. What made it worse, was that her Norwegian language teacher was also her coach, and he expected better from one of his star players.

Shaking off the snow that was building up in her hair, Anna jogged across the school parking lot and into the street. Her eyes were glued on the building in front of her, clutching her hockey gear at her side and continued to rush forward.

"WOW!"

A horn honked out of Anna's view and the auburn literally had to leap out of the way to avoid being hit. All the girl saw was a head of platinum blonde hair and a stellar white BMW speed off, the driver not even looking in her direction.

"What the hell? Stupid bitch!" Anna called, gathering up a ball of snow and throwing it in the cars' direction. The snowball fell short, to Anna's disappointment, and the girl could only climb to her feet and catch the state on the plate.

_Massachusetts. Weird._

* * *

"Miss Anna! You're late!"

Coach Oaken's thick accent boomed across the ice rink as a petite girl dwarfed in pads and a purple and green hockey jersey skated across the ice. She said nothing as she reached her teammates, adjusting her helmet and flicking two auburn braids behind her back.

"Thirty minutes of repetitions after practice," Oaken mumbled to her, then turned to the rest of his team.

Anna groaned and caught her best friend's eye, Kristoff, from across the group. Kristoff was a hulking blonde who was built for the hockey and towered over the majority of his teammates. He was also the star of the team, a natural on the ice, but completely clueless when it came to everything else, especially girls. He gave her a sympathetic look and mouthed, '_Where were you?' _but Anna only shook her head and whispered, '_I'll tell you later,' _but not without being noticed by one of the other players.

"Excuse me, Coach Oaken?" a slim, yet fit senior with the biggest chin Anna had ever seen interrupted. It was Hans, popular with the 'In' crowd (though Anna never understood why) and it seemed he only existed to make everyone else's lives miserable. She hated him with every living fiber of her being.

Hans raised his hockey stick and cleared his throat, "I think if Kristoff and Anna have something to say, they should share it with the team." The senior looked at Anna with a devilish grin, convinced that the two of them _had _to be dating with all the time they spent together, and always went out of his way to give them a hard time about it.

"Oh lay off," a muffled, thick Scottish accent rang out from the shortest player. Merida, a transfer student from Scotland, skated to the front of the group and took off her helmet, red hair erupting from its confines. "I didn't come all this way for _social hour _Hans," she said irritably, twirling her helmet in her hands.

"What's the number one rule?" Oaken shouted, trying to get control over his team.

"Helmets on when on the ice!" the players chanted, and Merida huffed, attempting to pull the object back over her unruly hair.

Hans laughed as he watched her, "You know, she really doesn't _need _a helmet, I'm sure her hair can do a better job. Maybe we can stick her in the goalie box without one and see how well she holds up?"

Some members of the team laughed and Oaken blew his whistle, "Stop n' go! Stop n' go!" He shouted, hoping a drill would silence the team.

The player's took their positions and Anna put her gloved hand on top of Merida's helmet, noticing that it wasn't quite on all the way and attempted to push it down.

"Woman, your hair! Have you ever thought about straightening it?" Anna laughed, applying as much weight as she could to the top of the girls' head.

"Are you kidding?" Merida asked as Kristoff skated next to them and bumped his fist down, securing the red head's helmet in place. "These are virgin Scottish locks," she continued, "To do anything to them would be a sin."

Anna and Kristoff laughed as the coach blew the whistle, sending them skating across the ice at full speed, Anna in the lead.

* * *

"So where were you?" Kristoff finally asked, skating up to Anna who was taking water before starting her repetitions.

Anna huffed and shook her head. "I don't know if you've been outside today, but it seriously started dumping snow on my walk over here, like _seriously. _And some person was totally not paying attention and ran me off the road! And they didn't even notice!"

Kristoff zoned out as Anna continued to talk, moving her arms enthusiastically, waving her middle finger in the air at one point, then pretending to lug her hockey gear the next, all important aspects of her story. He thought she was absolutely adorable, and loved how her eyes lit up when she was full of energy. That was another reason why he picked her for the team. Sure, she was only a junior, but she was fast and had one hell of a trick shot. It came at a cost though, the girl could be a complete klutz and broke more sticks than anyone else on the team combined.

"…Kristoff?"

The blonde shook his head, returning to the present. "Huh, what?"

"Are you even listening to me?"

Before Anna could say more, Oaken skated towards her and gave both players a heavy pat on the back. "Mister Kristoff, I see you are distracting our best shooter. Do you mind leaving so Miss Anna can begin her repetitions?"

"Heyyyy I thought I was your best shooter?" Kristoff mockingly complained, smiling as he skated backwards away from them and waving to Anna. "I'll text you later?" He shouted to Anna.

"Please don't! My husband would not appreciate it!" Oaken called back with a laugh, then turned to Anna with a raised eyebrow. "See you tomorrow in class, and please remember your homework this time." And with that, the team had cleared out and Anna was left alone.

Anna waited a moment and listened for the sound of scuffling in the locker room. Once all was quiet, the girl reached for her phone tucked inside her bra and turned on the Bluetooth, connecting it to the rinks' PA system.

She scrolled through her music and stopped at Boston, something in the back of her head urging her to select the band. Mumbling to herself, she swiped through the songs and starting with Foreplay/Long Time, one of her dad's favorite songs. After setting it to shuffle, cranking up the volume, and stuffing the device back in her bra, the speakers boomed to life, causing a slight vibration on the protective glass surrounding the rink. Anna grabbed her gear and rocked a bit of air guitar on her hockey stick before sprinting forward, her blades carving into the rinks' surface. Once she reached the other side, she skid quickly to a stop, her skates shaving off the top layer of ice. Anna stepped lightly, pushing her blades in the opposite direction, beginning the sprint again.

"YEaaahhhhhh," she sang between heavy breaths, continuing a few more repetitions before slowing herself in the center of the rink, poising her stick for an epic guitar solo. "It's been such a long time! It's been such a looong tiiiiiiime! – OH!"

Anna stopped dead in her tracks, almost colliding with another figure on the ice.

The guitar riff continued in the background as Anna stood frozen, blood rushing to her cheeks, struck silent by the confident girl that stood before her. Her hockey stick slowly dropped lifelessly to her side as Anna's eyes wandered over the pale figure in front of her, sporting a pair of white skates, black compression warm-ups, and a pair of black gloves. Her eyes were a rich blue that appeared stormy and distracted, with platinum-blonde hair that was braided to one side.

"Excuse me, but I have this time slot," the girl shouted over the music, looking slightly annoyed.

"Huh?" Anna dropped her stick and tossed off a glove to pull out her phone to turn down the volume, Boston now only a subtle hum in the background. "Sorry about that, what did you say?"

The girls' face reddened when Anna pulled the phone out of her jersey. She was suddenly very aware that the hockey player in front of her was in fact a girl, and the player unintentionally confirmed this by pulling off her helmet, revealing a freckled nose matched with bright bluish-green eyes and a bad case of helmet hair.

"I said," the pale girl attempted again, "…that this is my time slot."

"Ohhhh," Anna looked around and scratched the back of her head, "Sorry about that. Normally I check the schedule before I come in."

The pale girl looked at her patiently, her hands clasped behind her back.

"…but I was late today."

Still more silence.

"Oh! Sorry, I'm being super rude." Anna attempted to change the subject, the blonde girl apparently not caring much for the pervious conversation. "My name is Anna Fredricksen, this is my place." she offered her brightest smile and offered her hand.

"Your…place?" the pale girl replied, reaching for Anna's hand and giving it a hesitant shake.

"Yup. And you are?"

"Elsa…Halvorsen," she said slowly, pulling her hand away.

Anna smiled and began to skate around Elsa, picking up her dropped glove and hockey stick. "If you give me just a second I can have the nets cleared for you," she began, tossing her gear into one of the team boxes and wrestling out of her top padding and jersey which she tossed in there as well. Now with her torso only covered by her Under Armour, Anna was able to move about the ice easier.

"It's weird," Anna continued, failing to notice Elsa's pale complexion redden as she skated to the nets, "I've worked here for years and I've never seen you before. Are you new in town?"

Elsa watched Anna struggle with the other net for a moment before skating over to help, one of the ends of the goal being caught in the mooring.

"I am actually, just flew in yesterday."

It was the first full sentence Elsa had spoken since she introduced herself, and for some reason this excited Anna. The net let loose with a final tug, sending both girls flying backwards on the ice, the net rolling on top of them and sending them to the ground.

"Holy crap!" Anna exclaimed before laughing, trying to kick the net off the unsuspecting blonde. "Are you OK?"

Elsa let out a small laugh as she kicked the net with her skate, "I'm fine. Looks like you don't take those off the ice very often?"

Anna's cheeks reddened as she climbed to her feet and offered Elsa a hand. "Well, I do. The problem isn't the moorings, it's the nets. They're pretty old."

The blonde took Anna's hand gratefully and was surprised when the small girl yanked her to her feet in one quick movement. The girl may have been smaller than her, but she was surprisingly strong.

Elsa looked at the nets, then around the ice rink. She began to notice the paint peeling from the walls, the dented metal on the nets, and an overall feel of dilapidation. Decades-old banners hung from the ceiling, covered in dust, some of them dangling from their last lifeline. It was almost as if the building was weighing in on itself, beyond its prime, and stuck in a memory

Anna cleared her throat next to her, and Elsa didn't realize she was still holding her hand. She quickly snapped it back and pretended to dust ice off her legs.

"Right…so," Anna glanced at the clock, realizing she had cut roughly 20 minutes into Elsa's practice time. "I won't charge you for the first half hour for obvious reasons," she motioned around the rink, then continued, "and the ice is yours until nine. If you need anything, I'll be up there." Anna pointed to the top of the stands where it appeared a small office rested, surrounded by windows.

"The owner must place a lot of trust in you," Elsa commented, her eyes following where Anna was pointing.

"Uhm, actually, I am the owner."

"Oh," Elsa felt confused and slightly foolish at the same time as Anna grabbed the net and skated away, but the auburn stopped quickly before stepping off the ice. "Oh! Do you want me to turn off the music? Or put on Tchaikovsky or something?"

The blonde couldn't help but smile at the girl and shook her head. "No, this music is fine. It's actually very…refreshing."

* * *

Anna had her Norwegian homework spread out on one side of the desk, and a stack of bills on the other. Her one and only Zamboni machine was out of order, and the mechanic who inspected it demanded money before even touching it. In addition, both restrooms needed new plumbing, and these problems were only scratching the surface.

The auburn's face dropped into her hands, scratching at her scalp irritably. She let her eyes close for a moment, partly out of exhaustion, and could hear Boston in the background like it was her life soundtrack. Curious, Anna glanced out the surrounding windows and watched Elsa skate around the ice. She had seen a lot of figure skaters come in and out of the rink, but only after thirty seconds of critique, Elsa was by far the best.

Swiveling her chair, her homework and bills forgotten, Anna turned her full attention to the blonde girl, entranced by her movements. She moved with a grace unlike anything Anna had ever seen with a surprising power in her legs as she flawlessly pulled off a triple lutz.

Anna's hands went into the air as if the figure skater had just scored a touchdown.

Elsa continued to skate her routine, gliding across the ice, never once faltering.

"That was amazing!"

The blonde skid to a stop, almost toppling over from the voice that boomed through the speakers. She shot a glare at the office, and Anna slid open one of the windows, waving to her.

"I haven't seen anyone pull of a triple lutz here _ever_. Congrats, I think you're the first." Anna said through the microphone, pressing a red button that overrode the music.

Elsa was ready to complain about the interruption, but she found herself suddenly very interested in the girl. She was impressed with her knowledge of figure skating, most people couldn't tell the difference between an axel and lutz alone, and there was something incredibly endearing about her constant optimism.

"I didn't know you were watching me!" Elsa called out to her, hoping her voice would carry over the stands.

"I…uh, wasn't." Anna pulled slightly back from the window, hoping the girl couldn't see her face redden.

"Uh huh," Elsa crossed her arms over her chest mockingly, tilting her head to the side. The blonde was surprised by her own confidence and almost let her arms drop. Normally she was very much an introvert, keeping to herself, but there was something about Anna that she found so _warm _she couldn't help but want to keep the conversation going.

Anna could only laugh, and found herself liking the figure skater very much. Her eyes absentmindedly glanced at her clock, and realized that it was almost closing time.

She disappeared into the depths of the office, packing up her homework and paperwork, then reappeared with a backpack slung across one shoulder, and her hockey gear on the other.

Elsa did a few more laps around the ice, pivoting slowly from one foot to the other, feeling the breeze tug at her hair. With a sigh, she slid to a halt at the exit and slipped off her skates, replacing them with a pair of Nikes.

"Want me to wait for you?" Elsa called as Anna skipped down the stairs and met her at the bottom of the stands.

"You just did," the auburn said with a smile, leading the girl to the exit. She shut off the lights then let Elsa out first, following her with a set of keys in which she locked the doors behind her.

Snow was still falling heavily, and Anna sighed at the sight of her ancient station wagon across the street, the only car left in the school parking lot. A mountain of snow had accumulated around it, and it looked like she would be spending some time digging it out.

"Well, thank you," Elsa said awkwardly, shifting from foot to foot. Anna wasn't even sure what she was thanking her for, since she did pay to be there.

"Uh, you're welcome, I think. Have a good night?" Anna asked, scratching the back of her neck.

Elsa smiled, adjusting the duffle bag around her shoulder and beginning to walk backwards to her car, "I will."

Anna watched the blonde turn around and load up her car, climb in, and drive off into the darkness. It was a few seconds later when she realized that she was driving a white BMW, a _stellar _white BMW, which Massachusetts plates.

_Figures._


	2. Chapter 2

Author: Letting out a little inner nerd on this one :p

* * *

"Earth to Anna."

Anna shook her head and looked up, finding a big pair of concerned brown eyes boring into her. Kristoff took a bite of his mac and cheese without taking his eyes off her. "Are you OK? You've been really quiet all lunch," he added with a full mouth.

The auburn had her homework laid out in front of her, her bagged lunch pushed to the side untouched.

"-So you guys," Merida interrupted from next to Kristoff, her hair bouncing in excitement. "You know how I've been thinking of what to name the Nerd Club, because c'mon, the 'Nerd Club' isn't exactly exciting."

"Right, go on," a raven-haired Chinese girl next to Anna spoke. Mulan was not only a huge geek, but also the resident outed lesbian of Arendelle High and captain of the fencing team.

"Ok, so, we're called the Arendelle Elks, right?" the red-head pointed to Anna's school sweater, which sported the insignia, then continued. "Well, put that together into one word, what does it sound like?"

Mulan tested it on her tongue, "Arendellelks," and her face scrunched up in confusion. "I don't get it."

Belle, a senior who already nabbed the valedictorian spot let out a heavy sigh, placing down a book she had been reading and pushed her heavy framed glasses up her nose. "Aren_daleks,_" a small smile appeared on the girls' face, "Clever Merida."

"Ohhhhhhh!" The entire group erupted in realization and cheer, curious glances being cast their way by the other tables in the cafeteria. Kristoff even patted the girl on the back and gave a 'rock on' symbol with his free hand, "That's sick! We're going to have the best name ever! Are you going to make shirts? Please make shirts. Maybe we can ask Rapunzel to design them."

Adam, a gorgeous beast of a man with brilliant blue eyes sat across from Belle, looking confused. "Aren-daleks?" He looked from Merida to Belle, hoping for an explanation.

"It's a sci-fi reference dear, from Doctor Who." The brunette consoled him, reaching across the table and clasping his hand.

Adam and Belle had just started dating a few months prior, he being the star quarterback and still very unfamiliar in geek terminology. At the beginning of the year, his grades had dipped below a C average and was benched until he got them back up. Putting aside his pride, Adam sought out Belle, the smartest girl in school, and begged her to tutor him. It took a week and over a dozen red roses that he kept hiding in her locker until she finally agreed.

It had been four months since then, and Adam raised his grades, took his team to the championships, and was now filling out college applications, all thanks to Belle.

At that moment, the cafeteria doors blew open, letting in a cold gust of wind and a bit of snow that was still falling from outside. Everyone was somewhat startled from the noise it seemed, and all eyes shot in that direction, locked on a platinum-blonde girl that floated confidently in.

"Wow," Mulan was the first to speak as she eyed the pale girl up and down, "I know I've got my own girl-crush and everything, but damn, that girl is _hawt._"

They watched her sit down at an empty table and pull an apple and a hardcover book from her bag.

Merida let out an airy whistle as murmurs began to build among the cafeteria. "Hans is going to pounce on that like a piece of meat."

"Poor girl," Belle commented, glancing at Hans who was staring in the blonde's direction like a hawk. She turned her attention back to the group and cocked her head curiously in Mulans' direction. "So, I didn't know you had a girl-crush, care to share?"

Blood rushed to Mulans' face as she turned her attention to her lunch. "It's not…it's just a crush. Nothing that will ever happen."

"It's Aurora." Merida answered with a mouth full of brownie.

"MERIDA!" Mulan yelled, throwing a noodle in the Scots' direction.

"What?" Merida calmly dodged the flying object. "Everyone already knows. Plus, Aurora is totally a lesbian, she just doesn't know it yet."

"Here we go again." Kristoff sighed and pointed his fork in Merida's direction. "Aurora is dating Phillip, remember? She's straight."

The Scot rolled her eyes, "OH YES! PHILLIP! How could I have forgotten?" she exclaimed sarcastically, "Are you speaking of the same Phillip who is captain of the dance team, is in chorus, and practices ballet? Also won best dressed every year since he was a freshman? That man is gay."

"Don't forget theatre, remember last year? He tried out for the part of Elle in Legally Blonde the Musical." Adam added, looking in Mulan's direction, attempting to be comforting. "Aurora's dating a _girly _man. There is very much a chance that she may be at least bi." Adam added with a smile.

"He does have a voice like an angel though…" Belle said, and the quarterback across from her shot a glare in her direction.

Mulan attempted a small laugh as she looked over to Anna, who was quiet, frozen, her eyes bouncing back and forth between the new girl and Hans.

The fencer placed a delicate hand on the auburn's shoulder. "You OK?"

"Fine," Anna said, sounding slightly defeated.

"I'm surprised Hans hasn't made his move already," Merida commented, her eyes searching out Hans as well.

Kristoff looked at his watch, "Let's time it, shall we? What do you think, five more seconds?"

Everyone leaned in, except for Anna, all eyes on Hans as they began to chant down the numbers.

"5…..4…..3…..2….."

Hans slowly rose from his seat, gaze locked on the blonde girl, his lunch in his hands. But at that same moment, Anna jumped up abruptly, lunch bag in her grip and knocking over her chair. Everyone at the table jumped in fright, then stared in confusion as Anna rushed across the cafeteria to the new girl's empty table. Hans was even surprised as he witnessed this, then the man narrowed his eyes in Anna's direction and slowly sat back down to the snickers of some of his friends.

"Hi Elsa."

Startled, the blonde nearly dropped her apple before looking up, catching sight of the hockey player she met the night before. She looked at her for a moment, eyes roving over her green school hoodie, her skinny jeans and Ugg Adirondack winter boots that were left open and partially laced.

"Hi." Elsa managed with a smile.

"I uhm," Anna felt extremely awkward when she realized the entire school was currently watching them. "Do you uhh, want some company?"

Elsa's smile grew as she motioned to the seat across from her, "That would be great, actually."

"Great." Anna plopped down in the seat and tossed her crumpled brown lunch bag on the table. Elsa looked at it curiously before Anna began to talk.

"So I didn't realize you were a student," the auburn commented before tearing open her bag, taking out a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and beginning to munch on it. "I mean, you just look older." Anna said with a full mouth. Her own words registered with her a moment later and she shook her head, attempting to chew and swallow quickly. "I mean! Wait, I don't mean you look _old, _just _older, _as in, like, more mature."

Elsa couldn't help but laugh as Anna blushed furiously. "Jeg vet."

Anna paused, hearing the familiar words and staring at the blonde with wide eyes.

"Snakker du norsk?" she asked, testing the girl in front of her.

"Dessverre snakker jeg bare litt norsk." Elsa replied, her eyes twinkling.

Anna tapped her finger on the table, thinking of a simple Norwegian sentence she could ask, though not fully trusting the humble blonde.

"Hvor er du fra?"

"Jeg er fra Boston."

A buzz in Anna's pocket distracted her and the auburn whipped out her phone. "Vent litt, er du snill."

Elsa smiled and waited patiently, she was enjoying this a little too much.

_Merida: Kristoff is getting crazy jealous. Are you coming back here or what?_

Anna considered not replying to Merida's text, but realized the group could probably see her looking at her phone from across the cafeteria. Sighing, she punched in a response.

_Anna: She's helping me with my Norwegian homework._

_Merida: You don't need help, you're fluent._

_Anna: Am I?_

_Merida: Your dad was from Norway._

_Anna: Was he?_

_Merida: You were born there, then moved here when you were two._

_Anna: Did I?_

_Merida: *facepalm*_

Anna smiled and briefly caught eyes with Merida from across the room, and the Scot graciously flipped her off, which the auburn pretended to catch and hold to her heart, as if she had just blown her a kiss.

"What are your friends saying?" Elsa asked with a slight look of confusion as she glanced over her shoulder at the other table. They were staring, and once they realized Elsa was looking their way, their faces instantly dropped to their already-eaten food, trying to look busy.

"They're just curious," Anna said with a smile, following Elsa's eyes for a moment before turning her attention back to her. At that moment, the bell rang, and Anna tried to keep her face from falling in disappointment.

Both Anna and Elsa rose from their seats, Elsa stuffing her half-eaten food into her bag, and stared at each other for a moment.

"So…" Anna said, scratching at her ponytail, "Do you have practice tonight?"

Elsa tilted her head slightly as she slung her bag over her shoulder, "Do you work tonight?"

Anna suddenly felt very nervous answering. Elsa answered a question with a question, and she could be trying to avoid Anna altogether by finding out if she worked so she could say no, or maybe it's the opposite? Why does she ever care so much?

Anna sighed, partly out of her own confusion and from the reality that she didn't actually have to work. "I don't luckily, Fridays and Saturdays are my free days."

_Gawd why did I say that? Why would she even care about my bloody schedule? …why am I thinking in an English accent? I need to stop watching Doctor Who._

"Well since we're both free, maybe we can hang out? You can give me a tour of the sights and sounds of Arendelle." Elsa was smiling, and Anna found it absolutely adorable.

"It would be a very short tour, that's for sure." Anna laughed, trying to cover up the excitement that was building in her gut.

It was then that Elsa held out her hand.

Anna looked at it curiously, not sure if she should shake it or give the girl a low five. After a moment of silence, Elsa raised her palm up and extended it further. "Your phone?"

"OH!"

Anna dug the device out of her pocket and handed it to the blonde, their fingers grazing for a moment before Elsa pulled away. The auburn watched her navigate the device and dial her number into the contacts, and a moment later, she heard a buzz coming from Elsa's bag.

"There." She said, handing the phone back to Anna.

Anna took it and shoved it back into her pocket.

Elsa gave the auburn one last glance before giving a small wave and walking away. "Hadet bra."

Anna stood there unmoving, staring at the door Elsa had just walked through as Kristoff came up to her, holding her backpack and textbooks. "Hey why didn't you bring her back to our table?" he asked, handing the objects over to her.

"I uhm…" Anna searched for a reason as she hefted her backpack onto her shoulders. "She doesn't seem much like a geek honestly," she finally managed.

Kristoff laughed, "Oh we can fix that. Look at Adam! One day he's the star quarterback, and the next he's buying an Xbox and playing Titanfall with us!"

Anna shook her head, "I can't believe you hooked him onto that, you cruel man. Belle will never forgive you."

The blonde smiled as he draped a heavy arm around the girls' shoulders. "So you coming over tonight? We were thinking of a round of Munchkin and maybe Cards Against Humanity?"

Anna shrugged out of Kristoff's grip as the second bell rang.

_Shit. I'm late._

"I can't, sorry. I uhmm, already have plans."


	3. Chapter 3

Anna was staring at the contents of her closet, hands on her hips, blowing her bangs out of her face in frustration. All she seemed to own were jeans, hoodies and Chucks, not that she ever cared before, but now everything mattered for some reason.

The auburn whipped her phone out and started to tap on the screen.

_Anna: Hey Mulan, what foot size are you?_

_Mulan: ...why are you asking?_

_Anna: I need to borrow a pair of your shoes, are you home?_

_Mulan: Why?_

_Anna: Because I have shitty shoes._

_Mulan: I know. But I'm already at Kristoff's, when are you gunna get here?_

_Anna: I'm not._

_Mulan: …_

_Mulan: OMG._

_Anna: Wut?_

_Mulan: Are you going out with hawt-girl!?_

_Anna: NO! Well, yes. But not like, 'out'._

_Mulan: Then why are you asking me about shoes?_

Anna didn't respond, and she had to keep herself from flinging her phone across the room. The phone buzzed in her hand again, and taking a deep breath, she looked down at the screen.

_Mulan: Did you throw the phone at the wall?_

_Anna: I hate you._

_Mulan: Lies, you love me!_

_Anna: True, true._

_Mulan: So...what's her name?_

_Anna: ...Elsa._

_Mulan: Ya know, I had English with her, and that girl is ice cold. They called her by her last name, and Gaston tried to get her first name and she totally blew him off. It was fabulous._

_Anna: Right. Focus Mulan, shoes?_

_Mulan: I can't leave Kristoff's. You could always give Rapunzel a text, maybe she has something in her closet that isn't pink? _

_Mulan: But hey, you know what you should really do?_

_Anna: Wut?_

_Mulan: Be yourself._

This made Anna smile as she turned away from the phone and back to her closet. She didn't understand why she was so freaked out about taking Elsa out. There was a part of her that wanted desperately to impress her, but the reality was, she really knew nothing about her. Why did she move here from Boston? Especially in the middle of the school year? How old was she? Why was she so good at skating and not competing professionally? Or, did she compete professionally and Anna not know it?

These questions swirled around in Anna's head as she pulled out a clean pair of skinny jeans and her Adirondack boots from earlier which were drying by a portable heater. Luckily it had stopped snowing, but it was still wicked cold and chances are they were going to be sloshing through the stuff at some point.

Picking out her green 'Viking on a Narwhal' hoodie and slipping it over her San Jose Sharks t-shirt, she found herself ready to go, and realizing that she had never texted Elsa back.

Flipping her phone back out of her pocket, Anna dug through her messages (Mulan, Kristoff, Merida, Belle, Rapunzel and finally, Elsa's thread) and just noticed that Elsa had actually sent a message to herself through her own phone at lunch.

_Thanks for sitting with me at lunch Anna._

The auburn's heart swelled, and the feeling freaked her out. She looked at her phone, tapping on the side nervously, trying to figure out what to say.

_Anna: Ingen årsak._

Anna collapsed on her bed, trying not to stare at her phone for a response. She instead focused on the ceiling, trying to drown out the sounds of the Downton Abbey reruns that her mother was watching in the living room.

Her phone buzzed.

The auburn lifted the device over her head and almost dropped it on her face in excitement. Taking a deep breath, she sat up and checked the response, praying it wasn't Mulan again.

_Elsa: How long did it take you to text that out?_

Anna squealed, then returned to the screen.

_Anna: Longer than I care to admit, that å was deeeeep in my character map._

_Elsa: :)_

_Elsa: I thought you had forgotten about our date._

Butterflys exploded in Anna's stomach as she reread the line again. Date? Is that what she thought this was?

_Anna: Never, just couldn't find anything to wear...which translates to: I still didn't find anything to wear, so I'm coming as me, hope thats OK._

_Elsa: I wouldn't want it any other way._

Anna did everything in her power to suppress another scream. Was Elsa flirting with her? She hated texts, everything got lost in translation.

_Anna: So, are you ready to go?_

_Elsa: Yes. What's the plan?_

_Anna: I'm going to pick you up in my vintage automobile and we're going to head to the village. I hope you like Italian..._

_Elsa: I hate it._

_Anna: Oh gawd, really!?_

_Elsa: No, who doesn't love Italian?_

_Anna: That was my train of thought, it was a safe pick._

Anna tossed on her letterman's jacket over her hoodie and shoved her wallet and phone in her pockets. Grabbing her keys, she passed the living room where her mother was sitting on the couch watching TV.

"Hey Mom, I'm gunna go smoke pot and get drunk at a frat party."

The woman didn't turn away from the TV, and instead nodded, distracted by a commercial, "OK honey, have fun."

Sighing heavily, Anna left the older woman to her TV and walked outside, kicking at snow that had built up by the doorway, trying to get to her car.

Once inside, she turned on the engine of the old Ford station wagon and let it warm up. Anna pulled out her phone again and tapped on the screen.

_Anna: So, where do you live? Can I get an address?_

_Elsa: Sure, don't judge too hard though, promise?_

_Anna: Of course, nothing can be worse than where I live._

The auburn looked up then, rubbing warmth into her arms as her eyes moved over the double-wide mobile home that she and her mother had moved into a few months prior.

_Nothing can be worse._

Elsa sent her the address and Anna punched it into Google maps, and the girl had to do a double-take. She knew the area well, it was where Hans lived, as well as the majority of the upper-class at Arendelle High, right on the lake.

Taking a deep breath, Anna followed the robotic voice to Elsa's home, which turned out to be a massive three-story arts and crafts style home, boasting gorgeous stained-glass windows and a five car garage.

Before Anna could alert Elsa of her arrival, the front porch light turned on and Elsa leaped out of the front door, closing it behind her slowly and making her way down the cobblestone path. Anna's heart jumped to her throat as she eyed the girl in the moon light. She was wearing a pair of leather riding boots that Anna could only dream about owning, with black skinny pants and a faded blue fur-lined winter coat.

"Hi!" Anna exclaimed, reaching over the passenger seat and pushing open the door.

"Hey!" Elsa's breath puffed out in front of her before slipping into the car, closing the door quickly behind her and rubbing her arms. "Nice ride."

Anna gave her a sideways look, "I honestly can't tell if you're being sarcastic."

The blonde looked at her and smiled, "I'm not. It's incredibly charming."

Anna furrowed her brows in thought as she shifted the car into drive, "You know, I've never had anyone call poor Bob here charming, you're a first. Again."

"Again?"

The auburn smiled, flipping one of her braids behind her shoulder, "Yeah, you were the first to do a triple axel, the first to talk to me at school, and now the first to compliment Bob."

Elsa chuckled as she looked around the car, running her hands along the wood-lined interior. "I like Bob." Her hands stopped at the silver window crank and looked and Anna questioningly, "What's this?" she asked, pointing to the device.

Anna glanced at what Elsa was pointing at, trying to keep her eyes on the road. "Please say you're kidding..."

The auburn caught the blonde smiling out of the corner of her eye. "I'm totally kidding," Elsa grinned.

Anna let out of a whoosh of air and pretended to wipe her brow. "You don't understand. This is a 1982 Ford Granada, this car is almost older than both of us combined. He's very sensitive." Anna patted the dashboard, then paused, "Wait..." Anna did the math in her head quickly, assuming Elsa was around 18. "Ok, yeah, _almost._"

Elsa raised an eyebrow at the auburn and crossed her arms over her chest, "How old do you think I am?"

Anna tapped the steering wheel thoughtfully before turning into a parking spot. "Uhm, 18?"

"Try again."

"Crap, 19?" Anna tried to keep herself from cringing, but Elsa only laughed.

"17."

"Oh, really?" Anna perked up, pulling the car into park and turning towards the blonde, "Me too!"

Elsa gave her a sideways glance as Anna leaped out of the car. She climbed out after her with a look of confusion apparent on her face, "I thought you were a junior?"

"I am," the auburn said confidently, motioning Elsa to follow her, "I'm on the older end of the cutoff."

Anna and Elsa walked side by side down the sidewalk. It was late February and the village was still strung with white Christmas lights left over from the holidays. Elsa took a deep breath, letting the crisp mountain air fill her lungs.

"Welcome to the village," Anna motioned around her, a smile blatant on her face, enjoying the role of tour guide. "You can get everything from gelato to ancient native remedies here. Have a headache? Head to Black Fox Trading, they'll take care of it." Anna gave the blonde a wink, feeling unusually confident in the presence of the girl.

Elsa laughed and moved closer to Anna, linking her arms in hers. The blonde didn't realize her own actions until Anna looked up at her curiously, and it was then that Elsa realized how much shorter Anna was than she. When they were on the ice the day before, they both had their skates on, and it was hard to tell. Now, Anna stood a good three inches below her, but for some reason, she liked it that way.

Anna and Elsa walked by a couple warming themselves by a fire pit. The blonde almost stopped to absorb the scene, smiling at what appeared to be a young pair around their own age, but Anna tugged her in the opposite direction. "We're here! Welcome to Saucy Mama's."

"Saucy Mama's?" Elsa asked, looking up at the unsuspecting building in front of her. It looked like any run-of-the-mill cabin, the only distinguishing mark being a small wooden sign on the side of the building stating, 'Saucy Mama's Pizzeria'.

Anna dragged her through a small courtyard where people were sitting in plastic chairs, cozying up next to significant others under heat lamps, drinking beer and gorging in pizza.

"Mama!"

Anna burst through the door, Elsa in tow. It appeared that the entire restaurant knew of the auburn, and the woman 'Mama' who Anna referred to waved behind the cash register.

"Well if it isn't little Fredricksen!"

"Fredricksen!" the participants at the crowded bar called, lifting their beers into the air.

'Mama' met the girls at the entrance and led them to an empty table, handing out menus and leaning back on her hips. "I haven't seen you in ages Anna, you look so grown up! How's your Ma?"

Elsa noticed Anna shrink in on herself with the question, and the girl batted at the air playfully, "Oh she's...better. A lot better."

"That's great news," Mama smiled, then leaned in, "I'll bring some garlic bread and a root beer right away. And for you miss...?"

Anna motioned towards Elsa with a smile, "This is Elsa, she just moved here."

"Oh! Well, welcome to Saucy Mama's." The woman motioned around the crowded restaurant and smiled, her eyes crinkling.

"Thank you," Elsa said sheepishly, feeling slightly uncomfortable.

"Mama, can you get her an ice water with lemon?" Anna asked, resting her hands on the older woman's arm.

Mama smiled, finding it challenge to not be happy in the presence of the auburn. "Of course, i'll bring that right away." With that, the woman was gone, and Anna and Elsa were left alone.

"That was quite the entrance," Elsa broke the silence and motioned to the locals at the bar, "Everyone here seems to know you."

Blood rushed to Anna's cheeks as she leaned back in the booth, "It's not me they know, it's my dad."

The blonde waited for Anna to explain, and when she didn't, she decided to pry. "Your dad?"

Their drinks and garlic bread were delivered, and both girls put in an order of food. Anna waited for the waiter to leave before diving into the story. "Yeah, my dad built the ice rink, and was sort of a big influence on the community here. He helped bring hockey to the area, and helped the economy." Anna shrugged and took a drink of her root beer, her eyes focused on the napkin dispenser.

Elsa struggled for a moment. She wanted to ask more, but it was clear that Anna wanted to avoid the subject. Her curiousness got the best of her, and Elsa tapped her finger in Anna's eyesight, bringing the girl's attention back to her.

"What happened to your father?"

Anna shrugged, leaning on her elbows, "Cancer, a little over a year ago."

The blonde internally winced and reached for the girls' hand, taking it in hers. Elsa could see the surprise in Anna's face, but didn't care. "I'm sorry."

Anna let out a shaky breath of air, her skin prickling with Elsa's touch. She didn't want her to let go, but at the same time was totally freaked out with the contact. A part of her wanted to pull away, let her hands rest in her lap out of anyone's reach, and talk from a safe distance. But there was this girl in front of her, with beautiful blue eyes and the most awesome hair that was currently covered up in a beanie. With her free hand, Anna reached across the table and took it off, letting her platinum-blonde hair fall freely around her shoulders.

"It's nothing to be sorry about," Anna gave the blonde girl's hand a squeeze before finally releasing it, sitting back in the booth. She wanted to add more, like 'he's in a better place' or, 'I've learned a lot since then' but she couldn't get herself to lie. She had been lying every day since her father passed away, and was so tired of it, and was tired of the sympathy.

Elsa said nothing as she mimicked Anna's moves, putting her weight against the back of the booth.

Eventually, their food came and both girls ate in silence, Elsa looking up at Anna curiously, hoping for some sort of response, but the girl seemed to have caved in on herself.

Once they finished their meal, Mama refused payment and sent the girls on their merry way. Anna was still silent on the walk back to the car, and Elsa wanted desperately to change that.

"Anna," Elsa began, linking her arm in her's again, "Please don't shut me out. You don't have to tell me about what happened, but I still want to get to know you."

The auburn tapped on Elsa's arm thoughtfully, "What would you like to know?"

Elsa smiled, "What's your favorite color?"

"Green."

"Favorite food?"

"Bread."

The blonde paused. They had reached the car but she couldn't let go of Anna's arm yet...not yet.

"Bread? Seriously?"

Anna let out a small laugh, "Yeah bread! Because, you know, bread makes you fat?"

Elsa continued to stare at the blonde in confusion.

"Do you watch movies? Ever?"

Elsa was still silent, and she began to snake her arm away from her, retracting to herself.

"Ok, wait." Anna reached for Elsa's hands and held them tightly in her own. The blonde would have gasped from the sudden movement but managed to keep her breathing level. Anna looked at Elsa quite seriously. "I feel like this whole night has been about me, but I didn't learn a lot about you." Anna shuffled on her feet but didn't let go of the girl. "If you don't think I'm too crazy, I would like to hang out with you again." Anna then freed Elsa's hands and went to her door, politely opening it for her. The older girl eyed her for a moment before slipping in, allowing Anna to close it behind her.

The auburn jumped in the drivers seat and turned on the engine. She wasn't expecting a response right away, but was hoping it was a yes. Otherwise, she would have felt like a complete idiot, but couldn't really pinpoint why.

_Why does it feel like this is seriously a date?_

Anna snuck a glance at Elsa who was staring at her hands. The auburn shifted the car into drive and pulled out of the parking lot, heading towards Elsa's house by the water.

A sudden buzz startled both girls, and Anna realized it was Elsa's phone. The girl pulled it out of her purse and sighed at what she saw. Anna was too curious not to pry.

"Everything OK?" She asked, breaking the silence.

Elsa tapped on her phone nervously, looking ahead, trying to form the correct words. "I lied to you Anna."

The hockey player mimicked Elsa's tapping on her steering wheel, staring at the road, "Already? But it's only the first date!" she tried to keep it light-hearted, but it fell on deaf ears. Suddenly Anna was freaking out and she felt an awful feeling in her gut.

"I..." Elsa struggled to find the words, "I...actually had practice tonight, but I skipped it. That was my dad."

Anna pulled up in front of Elsa's home and did everything in her power to keep from laughing. "I've had people lie to me worse than that Elsa," Anna said, turning towards the figure skater. Elsa continued to look at her phone, and the auburn could see that she was internally struggling with something.

"Hey...are you OK?" Anna asked, concern washing over her.

Elsa looked from her phone, to her house, then to Anna's face, and a small smile formed. "You know, after tonight, I really am."

Anna grinned, and right then, the door to Elsa's house opened, a large man stepping through it, his arms crossed and looking in their direction. Elsa caught Anna's gaze and followed it, sighing when she saw her father standing at the entrance.

"I'm sorry, I have to go." Elsa sighed, unbuckling her seatbelt and kicking open the door. Anna didn't stop her as she climbed out, but the blonde paused before shutting the car door.

"I would love to hang out with you again," and with that, Elsa pushed the door closed and turned her back on the auburn, making her way up the steps.

Anna could only grin stupidly as she shifted the car into drive and drove home. She floated through the doorway, finding her mother exactly where she had left her, and made it to her room, collapsing on her bed and clutching her phone to her chest.

It buzzed.

Anna glanced at it, trying not to get her hopes up, but her grin grew wider when she read the first text.

_Elsa: How did you know?_

_Anna: Know what?_

_Elsa: That I wanted ice water with lemon?_

_Anna: You were eating carrots and an apple today at lunch, I figured you didn't drink anything with sugar. Lucky I guess?_

_Elsa: What if I was feeling like being a rebel tonight?_

_Anna: Were you going to rebel with a sugar-free Crystal Light?_

_Elsa: I was thinking of rebelling with a root beer._

* * *

Author: Thank you guys so much for the reviews! Keep 'em coming cause they make me feel warm and fuzzy and encourage me to write faster. Also, let me know if you want me to include the Norwegian translations at the bottom here so you don't have to translate them yourself, lol.

Also, Saucy Mama's is a real place with the most amazing ravioli's ever.


	4. Chapter 4

Anna was trying to focus on the game of Munchkin in front of her, but her hand kept going to her phone. She would flip it in her hand, then put it back in her pocket, and take it out again a moment later. Mulan noticed this behavior and rolled her eyes, trying to focus on Kristoff's cards from across the table.

"And with my Spiky Top, thats a +3 Bonus! And that is Level 17 over the Level 14 Insurance Salesman, which means he's dead and I win. Booyah!" Kristoff whooped as he flicked the monster card out of the way. Eugene leaned over his stock pile and shook his head.

"You can't use the Spiky Top dude, see the fine print? Females only."

"CHEATER!" Merida yelled, throwing the cards in her hand at the blonde. She had had it rough during the game, constantly losing levels and all of her armor twice. "You've been cheating this whole damn game! I'm done!"

"Wow wait guys, calm down." Rapunzel leaned in, attempting to gather Merida's cards that had fluttered down around Eugene and Kristoff. The blonde held up his hands in defense, "It clearly says on the box 'Kill the Monsters, Steal the Treasure, Stab your Buddy'. They're practically encouraging it."

Merida and Kristoff continued to bicker, Rapunzel attempting to calm them, with Eugene and Mulan just laughing from the side.

Anna took the opportunity to open Elsa's thread and send a text.

_Anna: I hope you didn't get into too much trouble last night._

_Elsa: Sorry for not texting today, I've been at the rink._

_Anna: It's OK. I hope Maurice treated you well?_

_Elsa: Yes! He's so sweet! He's your friends dad, right?_

_Anna: Yup, Belle. She was the girl with the book and hipster glasses in the cafeteria yesterday. Maurice and my dad had been friends forever, and now that he's retired he doesn't mind helping out around the rink a few days a week. #lifestory #novel #sorrytoboreyou_

_Elsa: Lol, that's nice of him. And you don't bore me, I like knowing things about you._

_Elsa: …_

_Elsa: That read significantly creepier then intended._

_Anna: You were intending to be creepy?_

_Elsa: Forget I said anything._

The conversation suddenly stalled and Anna tapped her foot thoughtfully, thinking of something to say to keep it going.

"Soooo, you talking to Elsa?" Mulan had leaned in and whispered into Anna's ear, making her jump and almost drop her phone.

Blood rushed to the girls' cheeks as she hastily stuffed her phone into her pocket. "Uhm yeah, just saying 'hey'."

"Uh huh..." Mulan pulled away and eyed the girl up and down, taking note of Anna's body language. She knew that look, but decided to say nothing.

"-OH MY GAWD YOU GUYS!"

Everyone at the table shot a look to Rapunzel, who was looking at her phone with wide eyes. She turned the screen around for everyone to see, and the majority of the table's occupants gave her a sideways glance, while a few others attempted to peer into the tiny screen.

"Punzy, we can't read your screen," Merida rolled her eyes, sitting back in her chair.

Eugene reached for Rapunzel's phone and stood up, puffing out his chest and speaking in an English accent. "I would like to perform a dramatic reading of the following text from Snow."

The group laughed and listened intently, Rapunzel rolling her eyes next to him.

"Ahem." Eugene cleared his throat and began, extending out his free hand in dramatic fashion. "O-M-G Rapunzel. Phillip and Aurora broke up." Eugene paused and attempted to scroll through the phone, expecting more to the text. He broke out of character as he looked down at his girlfriend. "Wait, really? That's it?"

Rapunzel puffed out air in annoyance as she snatched her phone back. "I would have had more information if you didn't take my phone away! Let me text her back."

"Worst dramatic text reading ever." Merida yawned.

All eyes seemed to slowly drift over to Mulan, who looked like a deer caught in headlights. "What?"

Merida leaned in, "This is your chance girl! Go get her!"

Mulan rolled her eyes and put her cards into a single stack. "Yes, let me text her right now and say, 'Hey Aurora! Heard you and Phillip just broke up. Want to go make out?'"

Merida twirled one of her curls thoughtfully, then snapped her fingers with an idea. "I've got it!" Her eyes jumped back and forth between Anna and Mulan, and the auburn could feel the pit in her stomach dropping. "So this is what we do. We plan a 'girls night', but we make the reason more about the new girl...crap, Anna, what's her name?"

"...Elsa..."

"Right, Elsa." Merida tested the name on her tongue, then continued. "We want to incorporate Elsa into the school so she can meet new people, right? Sounds normal enough. So we invite Aurora along with us to go bowling or something, and BAM! Mulan, that's when you strike. Not literally of course, but it's an opportunity for her to at least get to know you." The red head turned surprisingly serious with the last sentence, the original intensity in her eyes softening as she looked across the table at the fencer.

Kristoff nodded in approval, "It's really not a bad idea. But can the boys come? I really want to see this go down."

Rapunzel shook her head from across the table. "No. Aurora is going through a break-up. I'm not sure who broke up with who, but she'll be more comfortable and more willing to open up if it's just us girls."

Eugene crossed his arms over his chest and nodded in approval, "Hey I'm not complaining, that means more Titanfall time for us." He raised his hand in the air, and Kristoff met it with a high-five.

Anna looked from Mulan (who had an extremely panicked look on her face) to her phone and instantly began to type.

_Anna: So my friends have just picked you to be a scape-goat for a ruse._

_Elsa: Aww, they sound so sweet._

_Elsa: (btw, that was sarcasm)_

_Anna: I promise their intentions are good, just know that I had absolutely nothing to do with it, and they are going to force me to ask you to hang out next Friday, and you can totally say no._

_Elsa: Hmm, looks like I need more information._

_Anna: Basically, my friend Mulan has had a huge crush on this girl Aurora for ages. Rapunzel just found out that Aurora and Phillip broke up, and Merida came up with this plan to try and introduce them, since Aurora doesn't really know of Mulan's existence, and that involves asking you to hang out with all of us, pretending like the hang out is about introducing you to new people when it's really about them._

_Elsa: There were a lot of names in that paragraph._

_Anna: Sorry. It's hard to explain over text._

_Elsa: ..._

_Elsa: Will you be there?_

This made Anna pause, a warm feeling beginning to grow in her chest. She took a deep, comforting breath and returned to the tiny screen.

_Anna: Yes. I'll be there._

_Elsa: Then yes, i'll...participate. _

_Anna: Wait, don't you have practice Friday nights?_

_Elsa: I can reschedule._

_Anna: Are you sure? I don't want you getting in trouble again._

_Elsa: Don't worry about me Anna._

Anna glanced up from her phone and looked around the table. Mulan had her head in her hands, staring at the table as the rest of the group chatted amongst each other excitedly. Anna glanced back at her phone before standing up abruptly, pulling on her coat and wrapping her messenger bag across her shoulders.

"Sorry guys," Anna rushed as everyone looked up at her, "I gotta go, something came up."

Kristoff looked concerned and jumped out of his seat. "Is everything OK?" His eyes spoke of something else, not wanting to bring a certain subject to the table, but Anna shrugged it off.

"Yeah yeah, I just forgot to take care of something." She swatted casually at the air and retreated to the exit. "Thanks for the game! See you guys Monday!"

Everyone waved goodbye, confusion apparent on their faces as Anna let herself out. Once she stepped into the cold night air, she watched her breath puff out in front of her, then pulled out her phone for the umpteenth time that night.

_Anna: Hey Elsa, What are you doing right now?_

* * *

Anna and Elsa met at a local coffee shop, Anna surprised that Elsa agreed, and Elsa surprised that Anna had asked her out.

"What's good here?" the blonde asked, bright blue eyes roving over the chalk menu behind the bar. Anna tried to focus on the menu as well, but kept glancing back at her.

_Gawd she's so gorgeous, it's almost not fair._

Anna blinked, her own chain of thought surprising her. She turned to Elsa again and really looked at her, her eyes admiring her features and trailing her form. She was more casual today, with a pair of jeans tucked into snow boots, her stockings peeking out over the top. The blonde topped it off with an oversized sweater and blue knitted scarf that brought out her eyes, and her hair up in a ponytail.

"Du er vakker."

Elsa turned to Anna curiously, making sure she heard correctly. "Unnskyld?"

"Uhhhh," Blood rushed to Anna's face as she fell over her words, "I meant to say that you look nice. I may have mistranslated that one a bit."

Elsa laughed, a light, sweet sound that Anna wanted to wrap herself in and hear all the time.

"Takk," the blonde smiled, looking into the auburn's eyes. This caused Elsa to pause for a moment, tilting her head slightly, her gaze piercing. "_Å..._vakre øyne du har."

Anna bit her lower lip, her face reddening further from embarrassment. Elsa brought a hand to her mouth in an attempt to hold back an uncharacteristic squeal.

_This girl is absolutely adorable._

"-Hey uh, Anna? You gunna order or what?"

Both girls' attention shot to the coffee bar, where a very impatient Snow White was tapping her nails on the counter irritably. Something dawned on her and she pointed at the auburn suspiciously. "Wait, aren't you supposed to be at Kristoff's? I thought Rapunzel said you were there."

Elsa looked down at Anna and raised an eyebrow, "'_At home, bored, with nothing to do,' _I seem to recall you saying..." she whispered_, _nudging the girl next to her. Anna somehow turned a deeper shade of crimson, and all she wanted to do was crawl into a corner and die.

"Yeah, I uhm, left." Anna attempted, out of excuses and a bit flustered.

Snow shrugged, then took her iPhone out of her apron and began to text. Anna tried to lean over the counter, hoping she could catch a glimpse of what the girl was typing.

"Soooo, what can I get you?" Snow suddenly perked up, dropping her phone into her pocket.

"Large mocha, extra shot, extra whip, extra chocolate for me," Anna gave Elsa a sideways glance, "Do you know what you want?"

The blonde struggled for a moment, her eyes bouncing across the menu, trying to decide.

Snow interjected, "What do you normally order when you're at Starbucks? I'm sure we can make something similar here, and I promise it will be a million times better."

Elsa looked from Snow to Anna, her expression blank. "I...don't usually drink coffee."

Anna stared at her with wide eyes, "How do you liiiive? Caffeine is my lifeline!"

Elsa shrugged, "Hot water and lemon?"

Snow shook her head, "That's just twisted, you poor poor soul," and began to press keys on the cash register. Anna tugged on Elsa's arm to catch her attention as Snow barked orders at her coworkers.

"You wanna rebel?" Anna asked challengingly, raising one eyebrow.

Before Elsa could speak, the auburn stopped Snow's communication and flung her hand forward. "Make that _two _'Anna Specials'."

Snow grinned, her smile reaching her brown eyes. "Wise choice," her eyes met with Elsa's for a moment and smirked slightly, "You're going to be awake for days."

Elsa let out a nervous laugh and offered a credit card as payment, which Snow took without question. Anna looked at the girl irritably, ready to protest.

"You paid for dinner last night, it's the least I could do," Elsa spoke first, taking back her card and walking towards an empty table.

Anna rolled her eyes, "In case you're suffering from amnesia, I didn't pay for _anything._"

"Your presence did." Elsa turned to face her, a smile gracing her lips.

Anna was ready to interject, but couldn't find anything witty to say back in response. This only made Elsa smile broader as they sat down at a small round table.

"So tell me more about this ruse," the blonde started, feeling unusually confident.

Anna took a deep breath and began explaining, but not without going through her list of friends and describing their personalities first. Even though Elsa had yet to meet anyone else (save Snow White), she could easily imagine all of Anna's friends with her vivid descriptions. Elsa noticed too that the auburn used her arms a lot when she spoke, and when their coffees were finally delivered, she almost knocked both of them off when portraying the fiery red-head Merida (Scottish, no filter) taking a shot at Hans (tall, sharp features, nice eyes, dangerous) during a scrimmage.

Elsa couldn't help but watch her closely, the smell of bittersweet chocolate and espresso wafting around them, and the blonde found herself in a moment of absolute bliss. She tried her best to listen, but she couldn't help but watch Anna's freckled nose crinkle when speaking of something she disliked, or how wide her rich aqua eyes got when acting surprised. The girl was full of so much energy and optimism, and Elsa wanted some of it.

"Ready?"

Elsa shook her head slightly, returning to the present, and gave Anna a confused look, "Excuse me?"

Anna motioned to the steaming mug of chocolate and coffee madness in front of her before picking up her own. Elsa followed suit, lifting the mug with her slim fingers and holding it to her lips. "Ready," she murmured.

Both girls took a sip in tandem, Anna quite literally gulping her drink while Elsa took a much more sophisticated approach. When Elsa pulled her mug away, Anna had to keep herself from bursting into laughter.

"What?"

Anna hiccuped, trying to control the giggles that were threatening to spill over. "Just...oh my gawd, I'm gunna die. Come 'ere." She motioned for Elsa to come closer, and when she did, Anna took her finger and touched the tip of the blonde's nose. "It's almost like you did it on purpose!" Anna laughed, retracting her finger with a bit of whipped cream on it. Elsa's face instantly reddened as her hands shot up to her face, furiously rubbing at her nose.

The hockey player could no longer control her laughter and broke out into hysterics, catching strange glances from the other occupants in the cafe. Elsa ducked her head and furrowed her eyebrows in mock annoyance. With a smirk, the blonde jabbed her finger into her mug and reached across the table, smearing whipped cream on Anna's nose.

"Oh!" Anna's eyes went wide in shock as Elsa sat back in her chair with a smug expression, one arm across her chest and the other raised, twirling her finger as if only she controlled the element of pressurized heavy whipping cream.

And Anna thought it was the hottest thing she had ever seen.

Slow to recover, the younger girl wiped the the cream off the tip of her nose with her finger and licked it off. Elsa watched this, her breath hitching in her throat.

"Oh don't look at me like that," Anna laughed, rolling her eyes. She most definitely mistranslated Elsa's expression, much to the blonde's relief. "You can never let perfectly good whipped cream go to waste, especially when it's been touched with the perfect blend of chocolate and espresso." Anna lifted her cup again, closed her eyes and took a long sip, sighing into the mug. "Isn't it orgasmic?"

Elsa was doing everything in her power to keep control of herself, though what she was trying to control exactly, she wasn't sure. She wasn't moving, wasn't thinking, and pretty sure she wasn't breathing either. Hands shaking slightly, the blonde distracted herself with her drink, her refinement gone as she gulped down the contents.

"Do you like it?" Anna asked suddenly, the humor gone, now replaced with sincerity.

The blonde coughed, her tastebuds and throat adjusting to the richness of the drink. With slightly watery eyes, Elsa finished off the last of the mocha and smiled. "This was seriously the best cup of coffee I've ever had," she said confidently.

Anna looked at her suspiciously, "Is that only because this is the first and _only _cup of coffee you've ever had?"

"Maybe," Elsa placed the empty mug on the table and looked at Anna sheepishly. "But it's not about the drink, even though it is honestly very good. For me, it's about the company."

"Anna!"

Both girls turned to the direction of the coffee bar where Snow was waving at them. "I'm closing up over her, and Kristoff said to check your phone."

Anna sighed, reality closing in on her as she snatched her phone out of her bag. She had three missed phone calls and over a dozen messages from a variety of people, but mainly from Kristoff.

Elsa watched Anna's transformation with great curiosity as she slumped in her chair and appeared to grow weary, as if the entire planet was resting on her shoulders.

"I'm sorry Elsa, I have to take care of this." The auburn held up her phone dejectedly as she stood up, tossing her messenger back over her shoulder.

"Don't worry, it's getting late anyway."

Anna and Elsa looked at each other at that moment, unsure of what to do. Elsa thought about hugging her goodbye, that was normal, right? But something kept her back, and instead she gave a small wave. "See you at school Monday?"

"Yeah." Anna gave a small smile, but Elsa could tell that she was already gone, distracted in another place.

* * *

Two in the morning rolled around, and Elsa found herself in bed, staring at her blue walls. The room was empty save for her Queen-sized bed, her skates, and a stack of unpacked boxes stashed in a corner. The only light came through the window, the moon reflecting off the water in the lake. She was wide awake (probably due to the coffee no less) and kept glancing at her phone, hoping it would ring.

In frustration, the blonde reached for the device.

_Elsa: Snow was right, I'm going to be awake for days._

And she waited. Luckily, only a few minutes passed before the phone buzzed to life, but to Elsa, it felt like an eternity.

_Anna: I feel awful, I really shouldn't have ordered that drink for you._

_Elsa: Don't. It gave me an idea of what the real Anna tastes like._

Elsa instantly regretted sending that last text and jabbed at her screen, hoping it would somehow delete the message.

_Anna: Did you like what you tasted?_

Elsa stared at the message, rereading the six words over and over again, even whispering it out loud to herself to make sure she wasn't imagining it. She tapped her finger on her lower lip, reliving the moment of Anna's tongue licking at the whipped cream. What if it had been her own finger? What if it had been...

_Oh my gawd. Calm the fuck down._

_Elsa: Jeg liker deg._

_Anna: Do you respond in Norwegian when you get nervous?_

_Elsa: Hvor kan jeg kjøpe en vikinghjelm?_

_Anna: Did you seriously just ask me where you can buy a viking helmet? Weirdo._

_Elsa: Kunne jeg låne pennen din?_

_Anna: No, you cannot borrow my pen._

_Elsa: Well that's not very nice._

_Anna: You didn't answer my question._

_Elsa: You asked two._

_Anna: Yes I did._

_Elsa: To your second question, yes._

_Anna: And to the first?_

Elsa hesitated. Anna was being very persistent, but she wasn't surprised.

_Elsa: I tasted energy, richness, but bittersweet. While the flavors were balanced, there was a surprising complexity, but it was all covered by a giant heap of whipped cream. And I wonder, if you take that layer off, what's it like underneath?_

Anna's response was slow, and Elsa was afraid that she had either taken too long and drifted off, or she simply freaked her out. Why was she so nervous?

_Anna: The whipped cream holds it all together. Without it, it all falls apart._

* * *

Author:

For anyone out there who actually speaks Norwegian, I can only apologize profusely for the random tenses that I'm probably jumping around in.

And you guys are the best! I'm glad you are liking the story so far, and I have to admit, Modern AU's are way more fun to write. And i'll continue to message you guys with thanks, so check your PM's cause they're coming your way!


	5. Chapter 5

_Kristoff: Where have you been all weekend? I feel like you're not yourself, is everything OK?_

_Anna: I was at your house yesterday..._

_Kristoff: Yeah, but not really. You seemed distracted._

_Anna: Kristoff I promise everything is OK, just a little stressed about work._

_Kristoff: Oh yeah, I forgot about the Zamboni. Why don't you have Belle's dad look at it?_

_Anna: Because I don't have the money to actually pay him._

_Kristoff: You know he would never ask you for money. He's retired, and he loves working on stuff like that._

_Anna: It's the principle of the matter. I need to get it done right, without favors or people feeling bad for me._

_Kristoff: That's fair, I understand._

_Kristoff: …_

_Kristoff: How's your mom?_

_Anna: She's better._

_Kristoff: You're such a bad liar._

_Kristoff: Did she say anything to you today?_

_Anna: She hasn't spoken since Friday._

_Anna: And if you even say one word about sending her to a psych ward, I swear i'll seriously kill you. I don't want your sympathy._

_Kristoff: It's not about sympathy Anna, it's about fear. I'm afraid and worried for your well-being, and you're so stressed all the time. I'm afraid that something is going to happen to you, or something is going to happen to your mom. _

_Kristoff: I just want to help._

_Anna: I know, I'm sorry. I just...can't lose them both, you know? Just knowing that she's there when I come home from school, it's comforting. Even though she doesn't say much, she's still my mom, and she's still in there...somewhere._

_Kristoff: You can't do this on your own Anna. How about next Saturday, let's get some slurpees and do some research, find out what other options are out there for her._

_Anna: Slurpees? Really? It's 10 degrees outside._

_Kristoff: So? Slurpees are delicious regardless of the weather._

_Anna: Touché._

_Kristoff: Well look at that, the girl knows French AND Norwegian!_

_Anna: Tilbakestående._

_Kristoff: Whatever you just said, I'm sure it's not politically correct._

_Kristoff: And don't change the subject._

_Anna: …_

_Anna: Fine._

_Kristoff: Really!?_

_Anna: Yeah. _

_Kristoff: I'm proud of you._

_Anna: Thanks Kristoff._

_Kristoff: Anytime girlfriend._

_Anna: See you at lunch tomorrow._

_Kristoff: Night :)_

* * *

Anna was dreading lunch.

She stood outside the cafeteria in the snow, peering through the frosted windows, trying to decide what to do. Normally, she would slip in like she had every other day since freshman year and sit with the nerds. They were her people and they accepted her and all of her strangeness since day one.

But today, Elsa was there.

She sat alone at her table again, eating another apple, finishing up a paperback.

Her phone buzzed.

_Mulan: You look like a stalker out there._

Anna's eyes shot in her friends direction, and Mulan waved to her from inside, her phone in her hand. The girl went back to the device and sent another text.

_Mulan: Go grab your girlfriend and bring her over here, I want to officially meet this chick._

_Anna: She's not my girlfriend._

_Mulan: You guys are friends right?_

_Anna: Yeah..._

_Mulan: And she's a girl right?_

_Anna: That' I'm aware of..._

_Mulan: Then she's your girlfriend._

_Anna: Why does she have to be 'my' girlfriend?_

_Mulan: Because she's hasn't talked to anyone else except for YOU._

_Anna: Rlly?_

At that moment, Mulan saw Hans rise from his usual spot and make his way towards Elsa. The fencer waved her hands into the air in a panic, trying to catch Anna's attention, but the auburn was already very well aware. Anna watched with a sinking feeling as Hans sat down across from Elsa, in _her _seat, and began to strike up a conversation.

Anna kicked open the door and whisked into the cafeteria, making a straight line to Elsa's table. Mulan watched this with great amusement, her eyebrow raised, watching Anna's body language carefully.

"Hallais!" Anna yelled, cutting off Hans mid-sentence as she slid next to the table. Anna's eyes bore into Elsa's, the younger girl still standing, but leaning her palms on the table. "Ønsker du å sitte med meg?"

Elsa looked up at her and smiled, her eyes sparkling at the sight of the girl. _"_Det hadde vært hyggelig."

Anna grinned as Elsa rose from her spot, lifting her purse to her shoulder and giving Hans a short glance before offering her elbow to the younger girl, in which Anna took gratefully.

"Adjø," Anna said behind her, catching eyes with Hans for a moment, a permanent smile plastered on her face as she led Elsa to her friends table.

Anna held Elsa's arm tightly as she walked across the room, stealing glances at the blonde who was smiling to herself.

"Hey guys! I would like to introduce to you Elsa Halvorsen. She just moved here from Boston."

Eugene was the first to stand and gave a sweeping bow, "Ms. Halvorsen, you have traveled far and must be weary. Care to sit with the likes of the nerds? While we may not smell the best, we most definitely have the best conversation."

Elsa turned slightly pink with Eugene's grand display. "Anna has already proved that," she said with a shy smile, and Anna instantly shot a look in the elder girls direction. "Are you trying to say that I smell?"

The blonde turned crimson, the group erupting with laughter, most of them deciding that they liked this girl, all except one.

"So why'd you move here Elsa?" Kristoff asked, a slight edge to his voice as as Anna and Elsa took a seat next to Mulan. He chewed on his meatloaf slowly, his eyes not moving from the new girl.

"It was my father's decision. He felt there were too many distractions in Boston, and that it was getting in the way of my training."

Rapunzel decided to jump in. "What are you training for?"

Anna leaned on the table, "Elsa is a figure skater, that's how we met!"

"Ohhhhhh!" The group said in unison and began to chat excitedly, tossing questions left and right at the unsuspecting blonde. Anna leaned back and watched Elsa interact with her friends, a lopsided grin apparent on her face.

Anna pulled out her phone.

_Anna: I never had a chance to ask you why you had moved here, I feel silly for not already knowing. Were you rebelling on the streets of Boston and skipping practice? :p_

_Elsa: Haha no. Actually, it's sort of a long story._

_Anna: Oh, sorry. Didn't mean to pry._

_Elsa: I promise i'll tell you, just not this second._

Mulan watched the two girls texting each other, Elsa looking up occasionally when Rapunzel, curious as ever, continued to ask questions.

And the week continued on much the same. Elsa would sit with Anna's friends at lunch, then Anna would have practice after school, and Elsa would come to the rink for practice right after. The auburn would then retreat into her office and try to focus on her homework and paperwork, but she always got _so _distracted.

Every now and again Anna would push herself away from the computer and roll her chair to the windows. There she would simply sit with her head resting in her hands and watch Elsa dance across the ice. Anna knew she was becoming infatuated with the blonde, but wasn't quite sure where the infatuation ended. It was a crush no doubt, but girl-crushes were normal, right? Anna had only felt this way once before, and it was back in her freshman year with Hans.

* * *

Friday arrived, and Anna found herself nervous as hell.

Aurora had agreed to meet at the bowling alley that evening, and what was originally going to be a small get-together had somehow exploded to a 'Welcome to Arendelle Elsa!' party. It seemed that half of the school was attending, and since word travelled fast, Merida made sure that the nerds had two lanes reserved all for themselves, and was already mentally splitting up the teams.

School had finally let out and Anna was heading back to her car. She could see Elsa's BMW across the parking lot, and the sight made the girl smile before she slipped into her old station wagon.

Her phone buzzed.

_Elsa: So do you want to carpool tonight?_

_Anna: That would be awesome! I'll pick you up at 5?_

_Elsa: I was actually thinking I could pick you up? Since you drove last time._

_Anna: It's OK, I don't mind driving._

_Elsa: No really, I insist. Can I get your address?_

Anna inhaled sharply and internally panicked. She slowly punched in her address and hit send, sighing heavily into the glossy phone screen.

_Anna: Text me when you get there and i'll come out._

Anna burst through the door of the double-wide, her mother not even flinching, and began to run around the house in a panic. Laundry was everywhere, the kitchen was a mess, and unpacked boxes still littered their dining room.

"Hey mom!" Anna greeted as she ran around the woman, attempting to collect all the dishes and clothes that had built up in the living area. The elder woman sat unmoving, Downton Abbey flickering on the TV, not even acknowledging her daughter.

After about two hours of cleaning, Anna ran into her room to change. She had five minutes if she was lucky before Elsa came, and the girl looked like a complete mess. Standing in front of the mirror, Anna shook out her two braids so that her hair fell in lazy waves down her shoulders. She pulled on a clean pair of skinny jeans and her typical half-laced snow boots, but instead of her school hoodie, she decided to wear a wool trench coat that her father had gotten her before he died. The special occasion also called for a dab of makeup, and as Anna was putting on mascara, she heard the doorbell ring.

"Just a second!" Anna called, slightly irritated that Elsa decided to come to the door instead of text like she had asked. She should have known better though, Elsa wasn't the type to wait outside.

After a moment, Anna heard the door creak open, and dread filled her gut when Elsa's voice filtered through the small home.

"Hi, you must be Ms. Fredricksen," she heard Elsa say, her voice bright and airy. This brought Anna into a panic and the girl accidentally stabbed herself in the eye with her mascara brush.

"We haven't met before, but my name is Elsa," Anna heard her say as she attempted to wipe up the makeup that was currently smeared over her left eye. Anna scrubbed her face as fast as humanly possible and was ready to jump into the fray when a women's voice responded, a very coherent, friendly voice, one that Anna hadn't heard in over a year.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Elsa, but I'm afraid Anna has never mentioned you before! That girl likes to keep me out of her social life, you know how embarrassing mothers can be. Not to say that I blame her..." her voice trailed off as if in thought, then came back just as quickly, "And please, call me Ericka, 'Ms. Fredricksen' makes me sound like an old grandma."

Anna froze, her skin prickling as emotion swept through her.

Slowly, Anna pushed open the door and stepped lightly into the living room. She saw her mother, wrapped in her robe and her hair completely disheveled standing in front of Elsa at the doorway.

"...M-Mom?" Anna called, her voice delicate and soft, her hands clasping each other tightly as she tiptoed closer, a mixture of hope and confusion on her face.

"Anna!" her mother called, motioning Elsa to follow her inside as she made her way towards her daughter, "I can't believe you never told me about this beautiful young woman! Oh look, now I've embarrassed the poor thing." The elder woman laughed as Elsa's cheeks flushed, then looked at her daughter, her laugh lines disappearing and instantly turning into a frown. "Why Anna dear, are you alright? You look upset."

Anna attempted to hold back a sob and failed, tears beginning to stream silently down her face, her shoulders shaking. "Oh Anna," her mother called, rushing to the girl and wrapping her in a tight embrace, "What happened? Are you hurt? Is it that Hans boy again?"

Elsa watched in confusion as Anna buried herself deep into her mothers shoulder, shaking her head as the woman stroked her hair. "It's OK kiddo, it's OK..." she soothed, not quite understanding the outburst and deciding to blame it on teenage hormones.

"I'm...I'm OK," Anna finally said after a minute, sniffing and wiping at her face as she pulled away, looking into her mother's face. "I've just really missed you," the auburn said honestly, attempting a weak smile.

Ericka looked at her daughter questioningly but smiled, raising her hands to wipe the remaining tears from her face. "Well you know I'm always here when you need me honey."

Anna collapsed into her mother's arms again for another tight hug before pulling away, laughing nervously as she caught Elsa's eye.

"Uhm, sorry about that." She said to her, straightening herself and wiping at her face one more time. Sniffing, she stood tall and hesitated, as if she wasn't quite ready to leave. "Ready to go?"

Ericka laughed as she wrapped an arm around each girl's shoulder and led them to the door, "So...what plans do you two have tonight?" she asked, trying to deter the attention from her daughter's strange emotional outbreak.

Elsa caught Anna's eye, her expression confused and concerned. Anna could only smile in assurance, mouthing 'sorry about this' as they stepped outside of the home.

"We're going bowling. Merida is attempting to hook Mulan up with Aurora," the auburn attempted to laugh as her mother released them.

Ericka gave an equally identical laugh, and Elsa couldn't help but smile at how similar Anna was to her mother.

"Oh that Merida and her shenanigans. It's going to bite her in the butt someday." The woman looked at her daughter and couldn't help but smile. Anna was indeed growing up and turning into a beautiful young woman, her eyes so bright and hopeful, just like her fathers.

_Her father._

_Thomas._

Ericka blinked, her eyes beginning to water as she looked at the two girls one last time.

"You kids have fun OK?" she forced, trying to keep her voice level.

Elsa smiled and waved, "It was really nice meeting you Ericka," and Anna jumped into her mother's arms for another tight hug.

"I'll be home kind of late, just as a heads up," the girl mumbled, her voice muffled by her mother's bathrobe.

The elder woman pulled away and winked, "I trust you honey. Be safe girls!"

Anna and Elsa yelled, "We will!" in unison, then broke out into giggles and headed towards Elsa's BMW. When they finally pulled themselves into the car, Anna instantly turned to Elsa with an apologetic look on her face. "I'm so sorry about that, that whole thing must have looked really crazy and weird." Anna paused and tapped her two fingers together nervously, "Honestly, if you don't want to go with me anymore, I would completely understand."

Elsa smiled and shifted the car into reverse, "We all have our 'really crazy and weird' things," she began, looking behind her as she reversed out of the gravel driveway, "...and I'm no exception." Elsa put the car in drive and began to follow the dimly lit street, her hand itching to reach for Anna's which was only a foot away.

"Want me to tell you why I left Boston?" Elsa asked, glancing at Anna with a small smile on her face. She could tell the girl was still a bit distraught, and in a swift movement, she reached over the center console and wrapped her hand around the auburn's fingers, giving them a tight squeeze.

Anna's heart was thumping in her throat, and a broad grin graced her lips as she squeezed Elsa's hand back.

"Yeah, I would like to hear that."

* * *

Author:

Why did Elsa move to Boston? What is actually wrong with Anna's mother? Will Mulan and Aurora ever hook up? Find out next week! Mwawhahhaah.

Ahem.

Thank you all again for being so awesome! Here are the Norsk translations for you (tenses are most definitely off on one of these, lol):

_Tilbakestående_ = Retard

Hallais! = Hi!

Ønsker du å sitte med meg? = Want to sit with me?

Det hadde vært hyggelig. = That would be nice.

Adjø = Goodbye


	6. Chapter 6

"So I need to be perfectly honest with you," Elsa said, pulling her hand away and looking at Anna with knitted brows. They had just pulled into the parking lot of the bowling alley, and the younger girl had been waiting patiently for Elsa to begin her explanation as to why she had moved here. Though instead, the ice figure changed the subject.

"Did you lie to me again?" Anna asked, laughing nervously. She suddenly felt very aware of Elsa's presence as she saw some of her classmates out the car window. Her face reddened slightly and the girl nervously ran a hand through her hair.

Elsa smiled to herself as she watched Anna from the corner of her eye. She liked how she fussed with her hair when she was nervous, and the sight of Anna with her hair down in loose waves instead of up back in braids made the girl internally swoon. She wanted to reach over and...no, she couldn't. Instead Elsa gripped the steering wheel tightly as she pulled into an empty spot.

"I didn't lie, I just didn't tell the whole truth. Today is actually my birthday," the blonde said shyly, turning off the car and facing the hockey player.

Anna's hands went to her face as she let out a squeal. "Oh my gawd Elsa! Happy birthday!" She clicked off her seatbelt and lunged herself forward, catching the blonde in surprise and wrapped her in a tight hug. "Why didn't you tell me? I wish you had told me." Anna pulled away and looked at the blonde with a serious expression, their faces inches from each other.

Elsa latched onto her seatbelt, her nails digging into the strap, her eyes bouncing from Anna's eyes to her lips, trying to gain some self-control.

"I didn't get you a present," the auburn thought out loud, leaning back against the car door, the tight space between them dissipating. Elsa let out a breath of air that she didn't realize she had been holding.

"No worries though, i'll fix that!" Anna called suddenly, jumping out of her car and whipping out her phone.

Elsa shook her head out and jumped out as well, "Wait! I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to get me anything. Please, don't-"

"Don't be silly Elsa, everyone deserves something on their birthday. You're turning 18, right? WOW! The big 1-8! You're legal!"

This made blood rush to Elsa's face as Anna linked arms with her and dragged her inside the bowling alley. The blonde found the younger girls optimism infectious and couldn't help but smile to herself. What made the smile slip from her face however was the group of girls waiting at the entrance, some who Elsa knew like Merida, Mulan, Snow, Belle, and Rapunzel, and a few others who Elsa had never met before.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELSA!" They all called in unison, trying to raise their voices loud enough over the music blasting through the alley, then rushed in on the pair.

Elsa laughed as she raised an eyebrow in Anna's direction, "How did you manage to arrange that? You've literally only known for about 30 seconds."

Anna smiled smugly, waving her phone in the air before going down the line again to help Elsa remember everyone's names.

"You already know Mulan, Rapunzel, Merida, Belle, and Snow. And this is Ariel, Aurora, Tiana, Jasmine, and last but never least, Cinderella."

"Good lord, just call me Ella," the blonde leaned forward, extending a dainty hand. Elsa shook it and gave a small smile, "That should be easy to remember, our names are similar enough."

"Aww, Elsa and Ella," Ariel cooed, whipping her fabulous red locks out of her face, "that sounds sooo cute!"

Anna wrinkled her nose at this as they were led to their two lanes. Merida took on the responsibility of splitting teams, which pretty much turned into the nerds versus the popular girls. To keep numbers even, Anna was put onto team 'ArenDALEKS' while Elsa was stashed onto team 'TWRitW'.

Rapunzel looked at the name questioningly as Tiana typed it into the computer. "TWRitW? What does that mean?"

Belle, who had been sitting patiently with a bowling ball under her feet, looked up from her book, "Oh honey, it's an acronym. But for what..." The brunette reached over and gave the blonde a pat on the back as she analyzed the acronym, testing words on her tongue, trying to figure out what it stood for.

Aurora smirked in the other groups direction and raised her eyebrows suggestively, "Wouldn't you like to know?"

Mulan laughed and raised her hand, "I would, actually."

Aurora took a moment and eyed the fencer in front of her, crossing her arms over her chest. She then looked around her team and yelled, "We can't be beat! And you know why?"

All the girls (minus Elsa, who watched from the side with a raised eyebrow) stood then and shouted in unison, "Because we're The Wildest Rides in the Wilderness!" Jasmine and Ariel jumped into a chest-bump and the rest of team TWRitW laughed and passed around high-fives. Elsa sat and watched awkwardly, but Ella approached her and offered her hand with a small laugh, "Why do you look so lost?"

Elsa gladly look it and was pulled to her feet, "Honestly? Because I have no idea what you guys are talking about."

Ella smiled kindly, "You know, Thunder Mountain? At Disneyland?" When Elsa didn't seem to respond, the girl tried again, "That's right, you're East Coast, right? I think they have the ride at Disney World too."

Elsa shook her head and sighed slightly, "I've never been."

Ella's eyes went wide in surprise, then wrapped an arm around the girl's shoulders, "Oh don't worry honey, we'll fix that for you."

Anna sat next to Mulan and Merida irritably, watching the interactions of team TWRitW with a scowl on her face. Merida looked back and forth between the two girls she was sandwiched between and shrugged her shoulders, "This is supposed to be fun guys! Why do you all look so grumpy?"

Mulan shot a glare at the red head and rolled her eyes, "You could have, y'know, mixed the teams up a a little."

Merida was ready to retort but fell short and uncharacteristically nodded in agreement, "Yeah, I probably could have." Her aqua eyes roamed over the team in front of her and let out a small sigh. "We're totally going to lose."

"Ya think!?" Mulan quipped, rising abruptly and joining Belle, Snow, and Rapunzel at the monitor control desk.

Merida turned to Anna with desperate eyes, "Anna, I need your help! We need to get Aurora and Mulan talking!" She was practically whining, and the auburn rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"First of all, if Mulan wants to talk her Aurora, she needs to put herself out there. You set up this whole thing, she can't blame you just because you put her on a different team."

Anna's own words sunk in as Merida snatched her head back, surprised by the answer. The hockey player pulled out her phone and sent Mulan a text.

_Anna: Stop being a little bitch. If you want Aurora, go get her._

The girl watched as Mulan pulled out her phone, read the text, then shot a glare in the auburn's direction. Anna could only raise her eyebrows challengingly as she rose from her spot and walked to Elsa who was currently chatting to Aurora.

"You ladies ready to get started or what? The ArenDALEKS are going to crush you!"

Aurora scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest, something she did often. "I seriously doubt that, half of our team plays professionally."

"EXTERMINATE!" Anna called, ignoring the blonde and trying to rally her troops.

Suddenly, the ArenDALEKS behind her came to life, and in robotic voices, began to chant, Merida and Rapunzel even going so far as to do The Robot as they chanted, "Exterminate! Exterminate!"

Anna grinned and mimicked Aurora's stance, catching Elsa's eye for a moment, the blonde grinning to herself.

"You guys are so weird, we're totally better."

Mulan strode up in one ballsy move and replied in a robotic voice, "You are superior in only one aspect."

Aurora looked at her questioningly, "And what is that?"

"You are better at dying!"

The ArenDALEKS erupted into an "OHHHHHHH BUUUURRRNNN!" as Anna and Mulan returned to their group, slapping high-fives and cheering.

Team TWRitW stared on in confusion. "Does anyone know what the hell just happened?" Aurora asked, scratching the back of her head.

Tiana rolled her eyes as she rested a bowling ball on her hip. "You just crashed and burned right into a quote from one of the most heart-wrenching episodes of Doctor Who ever, Doomsday. Really ladies, you need to culture yourselves on this stuff, being a geek is cool now."

Aurora turned back to the ArenDALEKS in disbelief, but a small smile was slowly starting to creep its way onto her lips. Elsa stood next to her, eyes dancing as she watched Anna talk amongst her friends, her arms moving about wildly, and the girl found it absolutely endearing.

* * *

They were halfway through the game, team TWRitW was slaughtering the ArenDALEKS, but it was no longer about the score.

Both groups sat intermixed, Mulan talking excitedly to Aurora about the basics of Doctor Who, the blonde interrupting occasionally with questions as she tried to wrap her mind around the 'Wibbly Wobbly, Timey Wimey' universe. Tiana and Snow were discussing the benefits of spice uses in pie, Belle and Ariel geeking out over the most recent Percy Jackson spinoff book, Rapunzel and Jasmine chatting about hair products, Merida and Cinderella already planning a day to go horseback riding together with Angus and Major, leaving Anna and Elsa to gaze across the scene.

"So, you guys never hang out together..." Elsa asked, trying to make sure she was understanding correctly.

"This is the first time, crazy huh?" Anna replied, smiling to herself as she caught Aurora's elbow graze Mulans. She then turned to Elsa, "And if I remember correctly, you still owe me a story."

Elsa smiled and nodded, "You're right, I do." The blonde sat back in her seat and crossed her arms, "Let's see, where to start..."

Anna mimicked her, laying back in her seat, their shoulders touching. "From the beginning would be nice."

"The beginning..." Elsa whispered, collecting her thoughts before diving into the story.

She began with how she had a natural talent on the ice, and how her mother had encouraged her to pursue ice skating at a young age. Both of her parents came from money and lived in Beacon Hill, her father a politician and her mother a stay at home mom when Elsa was born. As Elsa's potential began to grow as a skater, they began to send her to different training facilities across the globe, even spending a year in Norway when she was 13. It was there when Elsa's mother was in a fatal car accident, her father had been driving.

They returned to Boston immediately, and Elsa's father was a different man. Driven by his wife's dreams of seeing Elsa in the Olympics, she was forced to train harder. It was hard to keep friends with her rigorous schedule, and they went through coach after coach, all of which disagreeing with the man's ethics, and usually quitting after only a few months. This pattern continued for a few years until Elsa's most recent coach came into her life.

"And that's when I met Emma," Elsa smiled to herself, as if relieving the memories. She looked back at Anna, who had a slightly pained expression on her face, still trying to properly digest her story.

"Emma was 22 and had just graduated from Berklee, she was the most amazing cello player I had ever heard." Elsa began, "She had won the juniors championships a few years back. But physically, after that year, her body couldn't take the strain. So instead she resulted to teaching music and coaching on the side. She knew music, she knew skating, she was the perfect coach."

Anna waited as Elsa struggled with what to say next. She wrung out her hands, and when Anna noticed her discomfort, she placed her fingers delicately on the blonde's knee, "It's OK Elsa, you don't have to say anymore."

"No, it's OK." Elsa took a deep breath and let out a nervous laugh, "I've just never talked to anyone about this before."

Elsa then looked towards Anna and took another heavy breath. "Emma was the distraction," she said plainly, searching Anna's eyes for a reaction.

Anna stared back for a moment, then realization hit her.

"Wait. You and Emma..."

Elsa nodded once as Anna continued to pull the pieces together.

"...were...together? As in like, _together_?"

"-Hey Anna!" Merida called, "You're up!"

Both girls gazes shot to Merida, and Anna forced herself to her feet. Without looking back at Elsa, she retrieved her bowling ball and stood on the approach, her eyes on the pins in front of her but her mind elsewhere. She attempted to focus and tossed the ball down the lane.

_Gutter ball. Damnit._

"What the heck was that Anna?" Merida asked, probably the only person on either team who still cared about the score.

The auburn rolled her eyes, "It's not like I have a good track record. Look at the score, I haven't even gotten a spare yet." Anna huffed and turned around to retrieve her ball to try again, and caught Elsa's eye in the process.

They looked at each other for a moment, Elsa's expression slightly concerned, her confidence dropping quickly.

"Good gawd," Mulan mumbled to Aurora, "Look at those two, they're practically undressing themselves with their eyes."

Aurora looked from Anna, to Elsa, then back to Anna again. "I thought Anna and Kristoff were sort of a thing?"

"You would think," Mulan responded. "Kristoff is crazy about her, but Anna just isn't interested."

Aurora looked at Mulan curiously, "And what does your gaydar tell you? Rumor has it, it's pretty spot-on."

The fencer raised an eyebrow at Aurora before turning her attention to Anna. She watched the auburn turn away from Elsa finally, her cheeks slightly red, a small smile on her lips.

"Love is love, you know?" Mulan paused as Anna tossed the ball down the lane.

Spare.

"I don't think she's necessarily gay or straight, she just...loves."

Aurora smiled, sitting back against her seat, leaning on the raven-haired girl slightly. "I like the sound of that."

"Me too."

* * *

After two games, the girls were totally beat and ready to call it quits. They all parted ways, promising to sit together at lunch the following Monday at school.

Anna followed Elsa to her car, the blonde unusually quiet. She hadn't spoken much after finishing her story, and Anna had trouble trying to find something to say.

"Hey Elsa..." she managed, the figure skater unlocking the car and Anna slipping into the passenger seat. Once they were inside, Anna tried again. "Did I say something wrong?"

Elsa looked at her with a sad smile, "You didn't, I promise. I'm just..." she didn't know what to say, "...sorry."

Anna sat up straighter, "Why are you sorry?"

Elsa began to wring out her hands again, "That was a lot to put on you, I don't think it was really fair of me."

Letting out a small laugh, Anna reached for the blonde's hands and held them both tightly in her own. "I had asked you, remember?" But before she could say more, Aurora, Mulan, Rapunzel and Snow had flung themselves against Elsa's BMW, tapping on the windows as they peered in, causing the two occupants to jump in fright.

"Oh don't let us interrupt you!" Aurora laughed, Anna snatching her hands back quickly.

"Geeze Mulan, get your girlfriend under control!" Anna shot back with a smirk, the blood draining from both Mulan's and Aurora's faces as the blonde shot a surprised look at the fencer.

Snow and Rapunzel howled in laughter, then wished Elsa a quick 'Happy Birthday!' before they finally walked away to their cars, leaving Anna and Elsa slightly flushed.

"I am so sorry, my friends are insane." Anna then gave Elsa a sideways glance, "And happy birthday, I hope you had fun."

"It was seriously the best birthday ever."

"Really?" Anna perked up and faced the blonde. "Or are you only saying that because you've never had a birthday before?" The auburn winked and Elsa laughed.

"No really. I had an amazing time, thank you."

Anna smiled, "You're so welcome. I was actually kind of nervous about tonight."

"You shouldn't have been. Du ser vakker ut."

Blood rushed to Anna's face, remembering when they were at the cafe a few nights prior and smiled. "Takk."

At that moment, a firetruck sped by, horns and lights blazing and followed by an ambulance and two police cars. It was a relatively normal sight, and both girls watched the train drive off and turn farther down the street.

Elsa's brows knitted, noticing the street they had turned on. Her gut dropped slightly as her eyes trailed up the hill, and farther up, smoke was rising lazily, the tips of flames dancing over the trees.

"Anna...isn't that..." Elsa didn't finish her sentence when she caught the auburn's face. Anna was ashen and her eyes wide, shaking her head back and forth in a panic. "Oh my gawd, Mom..." she whispered, her eyes flicking from Elsa to the flames, her hands beginning to shake.

Without a moments hesitation, Elsa turned on the car and sped out of the parking lot, following the same path the emergency vehicles took. She reached over the center console, taking one of Anna's hands and squeezed it, "Everything's going to be OK Anna," she said sternly, trying to also convince herself.

When they reached Anna's street, Elsa could feel Anna's hand jolt at the sight of the burning building, a sob escaping her lips as she gripped tighter.

Firefighters were rushing to put out the fire on a double-wide mobile home and paramedics waited at the side impatiently, the stretcher in their hands empty.

Anna's home was on fire, and her mother was still inside.

* * *

Author:

You guys didn't really think it would take me a week to update, did you? :p

Du ser vakker ut = You look beautiful. (thanks TyvenTyven for the right spelling!)

Takk = Thanks


	7. Chapter 7

Anna was sitting on a small couch in the hospital waiting room, her wool coat resting on her lap, eyes red from crying. Elsa sat next to her silently, tapping the armrest, trying to keep herself from dozing off. They hadn't spoken for hours, both of them staring numbly at the TV screen that repeated health news.

"You don't have to stay," Anna said suddenly, her voice hoarse and cracking.

Elsa's hand slid over Anna's clammy fingers and held them gently, "I want to stay, I'm not leaving you here alone."

The thick clouds had come back, unleashing a windy storm that blew heavy snow onto the windows. At that point, even if Elsa had wanted to leave, she wouldn't be able to.

Anna sighed heavily, taking her hand from Elsa's grip, her face falling into her hands as she crumpled in on herself, completely exhausted. Her shoulders started to shake again, and small sobs emitted from behind her hands.

"Shh Anna, it's OK..." Elsa whispered, placing her hand gently on her back and rubbing it.

The auburn continued to sob, and Elsa took off her coat and folded it neatly in her lap, "Oh Anna, come here..." she cooed, helping the younger girl curl onto the couch and lowering her head onto her lap, using her coat as a pillow. And there she cried silently, tears staining Elsa's jacket as the blonde rested one arm on the girls back, and allowing the other to stroke Anna's hair.

"Kristoff was right..." Anna's voice cracked, almost like a whimper, trying to control her tears. "She needed help, she's always needed help."

Anna's body shifted and curled into a tighter ball, holding herself. Elsa reached in front of her and grasped one of her hands, which Anna took gratefully, her thumb trailing one of her fingers.

Elsa wanted to ask about her mom, her unending curiosity with the girl and her life remaining pent up inside and deciding to remain quiet, unsure of what to say. But it was like there was an instant psychic link between them, and Anna suddenly rolled onto her back and looked up at Elsa's face.

"She...hasn't been well, since my dad died." Anna explained, holding Elsa's hand tighter to her chest, as if it was her last remaining lifeline.

"She-" the auburn sniffed, trying to keep her tears at bay, "She has been slipping away, and it's gotten worse over time. She stopped working, she got quieter and quieter every day, and then she stopped getting up, and would just sit on the couch all day watching TV."

Anna looked up at Elsa then, whose eyes had grown misty.

"She was losing the will to live. Without my dad-" she was shaking, trying to keep herself from breaking down. Elsa used her free hand to wipe a few stray tears from her cheeks, then rested it gently on the side of Anna's face, the girl leaning into it slightly. "I-I was being so selfish, keeping her at home, not getting her help. I just couldn't be alone, and I thought...I thought I could be enough, that I could make her better, remind her that she still had someone to live for."

Anna's voice grew hoarse and finally cracked, the auburn pressing her face into Elsa's hand as if to hide herself as her body shook in violent sobs. Elsa was crying as well, silent wet tears streaming down her face as she wrapped Anna up in her arms and held her, rocking the girl back and forth.

* * *

When Doctor Isles finally came out after surgery, he found an empty waiting room save for two girls, asleep, wrapped in each others arms. The doctor smiled to himself and walked quietly across the room. He hadn't seen Anna since she was a Freshman, when she and his son Hans dated briefly. Now he was looking at a grown woman, not that awkward gaggly kid who crashed her bike into his Mercedes three years ago. The memory made him smile broader, and he found himself relieved to be delivering somewhat good news to her.

Doctor Isles dropped to his haunches in front of the two girls and tapped on Anna's shoulder lightly. The girl snorted and looked up, dazed and exhausted. "Doctor Isles?" she asked, her throat dry.

Elsa stirred underneath her, the girl's head snapping up and looking around her whereabouts curiously. When she spotted the doctor, her eyes grew wide with hope, and instead of loosening her grip on Anna so she could sit up, she squeezed her tighter.

"Hey kiddo," Doctor Isles smiled, and Anna instantly shot up, Elsa being forced to release her. "Is my mom OK?" she asked, panic in her eyes. The man rose to his feet and placed a hand on Anna's shoulder, forcing her to remain sitting. "She's badly burned Anna, and she inhaled a lot of smoke, but she's stable."

That didn't answer her question.

"Will she..." Anna struggled with the word, and Elsa draped an arm across the girls shoulders.

"Yes Anna, your mother will live."

Relief flooded through Anna and it almost made her cry again. She looked up at the doctor with glossy eyes, sniffing and rubbing at her nose. "Can I see her?"

Doctor Isles let out a heavy breath and shook his head. "Not yet, she just came out of surgery. Honestly, you should go home and sleep, and I'll call you personally when she's ready."

Anna nodded and slowly rose to her feet. Doctor Isles smiled at her and gave her shoulder a quick squeeze before turning away. She watched after him, unmoving, hands clasped in front of her and unsure of what to do.

"I-" Anna turned to Elsa suddenly, "I have nowhere to go."

Anna's lost expression almost brought Elsa to tears.

"You can come back with me if you'd like," Elsa said, suddenly feeling incredibly shy, her cheeks reddening slightly.

"But, your dad...I wouldn't want to impose."

Elsa smiled, "My father doesn't live there, he was only there last week to make sure the move went smoothly. He's back working in Boston." The blonde cocked her head to the side and caught Anna's gaze, "So I have a six bedroom house with 4 full-sized bathrooms that overlooks the lake and no one to show it off too."

Anna gave a small smile, "Are you sure? You really don't mind? I mean, I don't know how long this is going to take, I don't know what I'm going to do...oh my gawd, I don't even have any _clothes, _and all my stuff..." The auburn began to panic, her bottom lip trembling. Elsa rushed forward and caught the girl in an embrace, silencing her instantly.

"I have clothes. I have stuff. Whatever you need Anna, I'll get it."

Elsa pulled away, and Anna's face was a bright red. "And you can stay as long as you want."

Anna smiled at this and nodded, her face sincere. "Thank you, Elsa."

A few minutes later they were outside in the dark, digging out Elsa's BMW from under a mountain of snow. Once freed, Elsa squinted in the darkness, trying to stay awake as Anna's head bobbed in the passenger seat next to her. The sky was beginning to lighten, and with a glance at the dashboard, it was nearing 5am.

When they reached Elsa's house, the tired girls dragged their bodies through the snow and through the door, their eyesight blurry with exhaustion. Neither of them spoke as Elsa led Anna up the stairs to one of the many bedrooms, and at the sight of the bed, Anna collapsed onto it gratefully, not even bothering to kick off her shoes.

Elsa smiled at this and was ready to turn away when Anna's small voice called out to her.

"Where are you going?" she asked, her eyes open, then drooping closed again.

"I'm just- I'm right down the hall," Elsa assured her.

Anna opened one eye and lazily extended her hand out to her. "Stay? Please?"

Elsa paused for a moment, gripping the molding that surrounded the door. She could hear her father's voice in the back of her head, telling her to say no, to walk away.

"Of course," Elsa smiled, taking Anna's hand and climbing in next to her. They kicked off their shoes and wiggled out of their coats before burying themselves under the covers. They settled in finally, Elsa facing Anna's back, watching her shoulders rise and fall ever so slightly as she breathed. A moment later, the girl flopped over, her eyes open, and stared at Elsa with tired eyes.

The blonde didn't have time to react, and blood rushed to her face as she stared at Anna right back, saying nothing, trying to decipher her expression.

Anna looked as if she were ready to speak, but then she closed her mouth. Instead, her hand appeared from under the covers and reached for Elsa's face, brushing strands of hair out of her eyes.

"I'm sorry for ruining your birthday," she said then, leaving her hand up for a moment, her fingers balanced on the blonde's temple.

Elsa blinked, surprised not only by Anna's touch, but at how ridiculously selfless this girl was in front of her. She reached up, covering Anna's hand in her own and shook her head, "You have nothing to apologize for. In fact, I don't want to hear another apology come out of that mouth for the extent of your stay, understand?" Her tone was serious, but her eyes were smiling.

Anna smiled and gave a small nod in understanding. Elsa then released the girls hand, and instead of pulling away, Anna curled herself into Elsa's chest, taking Elsa's hand and clutching it over her heart.

Elsa froze, unmoving, her breath caught in her throat as Anna began to slip off into sleep. It took a moment for her body to relax, allowing her chin to rest on top of Anna's head, feeling the auburn's breaths puffing onto her skin.

"Gratulerer med dagen," Anna whispered, her voice tired and small. Closing her eyes, a smile appeared on the elder girls lips before she pulled Anna in tighter. "Takk," she whispered, and finally drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Anna and Elsa woke up to the sound of a phone ringing, over and over and over again. It was relentless, and when Elsa finally came to her senses, she looked around the room in a slight panic, confusion turning to understanding when she saw Anna sprawled out next to her, and quickly shot out of bed.

The blonde raced down the hall to her room where the landline was plugged in, currently resting on the floor. She snatched up the receiver, not even glancing at the caller ID.

"Father," she greeted, slightly out of breath.

Elsa's sudden movements woke Anna, and the girl rolled out of the bed and tiptoed down the hall, following Elsa's voice. She leaned against the wall, out of the blonde's eyesight, and could hear a deep voice on the other line. It didn't sound happy.

"The...time?" Elsa asked, looked out the window, trying to judge what time it was with the position of the sun. Unfortunately it was cloudy out, and her mind still wasn't completely functioning as she rubbed sleep from her eyes. Regardless of her attempts, her father was yelling now on the other end, but Anna was unable to clearly understand it.

"I know, I'm sorry, something happened-"

"Anna's mother's in the hospital, she needed help-"

"No wait, let me finish-"

"No Father, she's not a distraction."

"You don't even know her..."

"Please let me finish a sentence-" she begged, and with whatever response she received, the girl turned suddenly furious.

"You called the rink? Are you spying on me?"

"No, you're right, I'm sorry." Elsa took in a sharp breath as she continued to listen to the other line, her free hand in a fist at her side.

"Yes I understand. Thank you. Goodbye father."

Elsa looked down at the receiver for a moment before baring her teeth and throwing it across the room, landing on her queen bed unharmed.

"...Elsa?" Anna finally called, unlatching herself from the wall and peeking into her room.

Elsa's features relaxed instantly when she looked at Anna, and the blonde had to bite her bottom lip to keep from laughing.

"Wut?" Anna asked, adjusting her shirt nervously when she realized it was twisted about her awkwardly.

"Your-Your hair..." Elsa grinned then, and let out an uncharacteristic snort when she could no longer contain her laughter.

Anna reached up to her head and turned beat red. She could feel the strands sticking out in all directions, and the girl looked wildly about, trying to find a mirror.

"In here," Elsa chuckled, motioning the girl inside her room and into the connected bathroom.

Anna wailed in horror at her reflection, and attempted to bat her hair down, even going so far as sticking her head under the sink, hoping the water would weigh it down.

"If you wanted to shower that badly, all you had to do was ask," Elsa sauntered in, raising an eyebrow at the girl as water dripped down her face.

"It's-" Anna looked from Elsa to herself and frowned, "It's normally not this bad."

"It's adorable," Elsa assured her, then realizing that she had given the compliment out loud, turned slightly pink.

Anna continued to frown, not catching the compliment, then eyed the large shower to her right, "Actually, do you mind if I...uh, use your shower?"

"Oh! Yes, of course!" Elsa ran out of the room and retrieved some towels for her and handed them over, "And I'll find some clean clothes for you and leave them by the door."

Anna took the towels gratefully, "Really Elsa, I can't thank you enough for this..."

The blonde rolled her eyes and began to back away, "They're just towels."

"You know what I mean..."

"I know." Elsa grinned, "And you're welcome."

Anna closed the door behind her and stripped off her clothes. She had been wearing the same thing for almost two days and felt absolutely disgusting. Turning on the hot water, Anna jumped in and looked around, curious at what products Elsa used. Most of it was weird organic stuff that smelled stupidly good, like mint and vanilla. She used it in her hair, on her face, all over her body, taking deep breaths, letting the steam and scent rile her brain. As she lathered herself in the stuff, a thought came to her, and her already flushed skin seemed to glow brighter.

_Elsa has totally been naked in this shower, right here, exactly where I'm standing._

Anna looked at the loofah in her hand, and realized that that exact loofah had probably been all over Elsa's naked body.

Elsa's naked body.

Elsa naked.

Elsa...naked.

_Shit._

* * *

Author:

Oh come now, you didn't think I was really going to kill Anna's mom, did you?

Ok, I admit. I totally thought about it.

You can thank urthsin for saving her life, I literally messaged her and was like "So, should I kill her or what?" lol.

...gawd i'm such a bitch :p

Gratulerer med dagen = Happy Birthday

Takk = Thanks


	8. Chapter 8

It took Anna a while to get dressed.

Elsa had left clothes for her, right outside the door, just as she said she would. But instead of it being, say, a single outfit, it was in fact three boxes of Elsa's unpacked clothes, each box clearly marked with JEANS, SHIRTS, and UNDERS. Anna simply took what was on top of each box, not feeling incredibly comfortable digging through the blonde's clothes. But once she had them in her hand, she found herself smelling them, feeling the fabric between her fingers, and slowly pulling them over her slight frame. The auburn was especially interested in the pair of panties she grabbed, a pair of unassuming blue hiphuggers that she instantly wondered if Elsa had worn before. She picked them up and held them to herself, noting that Elsa may be taller, but she herself had a little more girth, but shrugged and decided they would do. The skinny jeans on the other hand were too long and bunched up at her ankles, but she didn't mind, and kind of liked the look. And the t-shirt was a loose college tee, sporting a Berklee College of Music insignia.

_Why does that sound familiar?_

Clothes on and hair rolled up in a towel, Anna came out of the bathroom, dirty clothes clutched to her chest and almost jumped at the sight of Elsa sitting on her bed. She was showered, dressed and ready for the day, and Anna couldn't comprehend how the girl had gotten ready _complete with makeup and hair_ when she herself hadn't even dried hers yet.

"You take really long showers," Elsa commented, looking at the girl up and down, smiling at what she saw.

"Do I?" Anna asked, plopping down on the edge of her bed and dropping the clothes into her lap.

Elsa looked at her again, and when she saw the shirt she was wearing, she took a sharp breath, her smile disappearing.

Anna looked questioningly at Elsa then down at her shirt, pulling the edges up and searching the fabric, thinking she had spilled something on it. It took a moment, but then she remembered what Elsa told her the night before.

_Berklee College of Music._

_Emma went there._

_This is Emma's shirt._

"Oh shit," Anna crossed her arms over her chest as if to hide the insignia and rose awkwardly, "Oh shit Elsa, I'm so sorry. Hang on, let me find another shirt."

"No wait-" Elsa reached towards Anna and grabbed her wrist. "It's OK- really, just...I just wasn't expecting it."

Anna turned towards her, her arms still over her chest, starting to panic slightly. "I swear I didn't grab it on purpose, it was the first thing in the box. I- I wasn't paying attention-"

"Anna, shhhh, it's alright." Elsa pulled her back to the bed and gently unfolded her arms. The blonde took a deep breath, staring at the insignia, then looked up at Anna's face, shook her head and let out a small laugh. "It actually looks really good on you," she said, releasing the girls' wrists.

"Why is that so funny?" Anna asked, questioning the laugh.

"Because," Elsa swallowed, "I never thought I would be able to look at that shirt again and not feel...sad."

"Still not understanding the 'funny' part..."

Elsa leaned back into an overstuffed pillow and let out a puff of air, "Because you're infectious Anna, and you make me happy."

Anna tucked an invisible strand of hair behind her ear, and realized she still had a towel on her head. She instantly pulled it off and shook her hands through her damp hair, scrunching her shoulders shyly, "You make me happy too."

Both girls looked at each other from across the bed, Elsa's eyes trailing Anna's features.

_She looks beautiful with her hair all wet and wild like that._

Elsa watched Anna look down at her shirt, then at her hands in her lap which were fidgeting slightly.

"What-" Anna struggled with the question, "What happened to Emma?" She asked, her head still down but peeking through her eyelashes, her wet hair framing her face.

Elsa's content expression slipped from her face and instantly turned into a frown. "Well..." she began, taking a deep breath, "I'm really not sure."

Anna cocked her head to the side, her eyebrows knitted in confusion.

Another deep breath.

"When my father found out, he said a lot of things, made a lot of threats. I couldn't take it anymore, I didn't want to skate, I didn't want to compete. I just wanted _her._" Elsa traced the seam line on her jeans, avoiding Anna's gaze. "We decided to meet at Boston's South Station and run away, but..." She looked up at Anna then with a sad smile, "...she never showed."

Anna shook her head, "But surely she called you, right? Texted you? Did she ever give an explanation?"

"She disconnected her phone, she disappeared from Berklee...she literally fell off the planet. She couldn't even leave me a _fucking note_..."

The blonde started to grow angry and Anna climbed across the bed and sat next to her, taking one of her hands. Elsa went rigid for a second before relaxing, leaning into the auburn slightly.

"Thanks," she whispered, flipping her palm over and interlacing Anna's fingers with hers.

"You're welcome," Anna replied, resting her head on Elsa's shoulder.

They sat there for a few minutes, completely content, eyes closed, listening to the small puffs of breath that escaped from each other's lips. Anna took a deep breath, inhaling Elsa's scent, the blonde's hair tickling her nose slightly.

Elsa decided the moment didn't last long enough when an obnoxious noise suddenly sprung from downstairs. Anna's head instantly popped up. "That's my phone!" she said, surprised, and hopped down from the bed.

"Both of our phones were dead, I have them charging in the kitchen!" Elsa called after her who was already running out the door and down the hall.

"Maybe it's the hospital!" Anna called back, almost tripping down the stairs as she flung herself off the final few steps and slid onto the tile floor.

"HELLO!?" She asked before even pressing the 'pick up' button on the phone, ignoring the caller ID.

Elsa watched Anna from the second story balcony, the girl's voice quiet as she held a small conversation that she couldn't hear. She would nod a few times, then try to keep herself up by pressing against the table, then gave up and collapsed into a barstool. After a few minutes of curling in on herself, the muttered a small 'goodbye' and hung up.

"Was it the hospital?" Elsa asked, descending the stairs. "Is your mom OK?"

Anna sighed and swiveled the chair in Elsa's direction. "It was the fire department, they found the source of the fire."

Elsa rushed up to Anna and stood in front of her. "And?"

The auburn looked up at her with watery eyes, "My mom was _baking. _She hasn't- she hasn't cooked since-" her voice began to crack again and Anna looked up at the ceiling, trying to keep tears from falling. "She must have forgotten and fallen asleep. Oh my gawd, _why _didn't I listen to Kristoff?"

Anna lashed out suddenly and Elsa jumped back in surprise. The girl was shaking, staring at her hands.

"You can' t be mad at yourself Anna..." Elsa tried, but the girl spat back.

"I _CAN! _I can and I will."

"Stop!" Elsa placed her hand under Anna's chin and forced her to look at her. "There was no way to predict that this would happen. You can put the blame on yourself all you want, but look around you, look at what you have had to take on over the past year."

Anna's shoulders fell as she looked at Elsa, shocked by the girl's sudden intensity.

"Listen, I- I know this is crazy, and I know I've truly only known you for a little over a week, but..." Elsa swallowed thickly, her eyes boring into hers. "You need to understand that I've never met anyone as selfless as you. You've been caring for your mother, running your father's business, going to school _and _playing hockey, all by yourself, completely alone."

Elsa released Anna's chin and sat down on a stool across from her, their knees touching. "You need to open your door and let people in. You have so many amazing friends who _love_ you Anna, and only want to help, if you'd let them." Elsa sat back in her seat and let out a small laugh, "When I plugged your phone in when you were in the shower, it literally almost had a meltdown. I think you have over 50 text messages."

It was true. Anna looked at her phone screen then and saw over a dozen missed calls and enough messages that they couldn't all fit on the lock screen.

Elsa dipped her head down then, trying to catch the auburn's gaze. "See?"

Anna sniffed and placed the phone down, then caught the blonde's eye. "Will you help me Elsa?"

This made the girl smile as she sat up straight, "I thought I already was?"

Anna laughed weakly and glanced back at her phone. "I need to text everyone, and call the insurance agency, and call Maurice-"

Elsa placed a hand on the girl's shoulder, which silenced her. "Hey, you do whatever you need to do. I'm going to make us some lunch-" Elsa glanced at the clock, noting it was already 5 in the evening, and the sun was beginning to set. They had slept through the majority of the day. "-dinner, and then maybe when you're done we can watch a movie? Relax a little bit?"

Anna nodded, "That would be really nice."

* * *

Anna got to work on contacting everyone, apparently news travelled fast in a small town. She had three missed calls and ten texts from Kristoff alone.

_Anna: Lordy, talk about blowing up my phone..._

_Kristoff: OMG ANNA I'M CALLING YOU RIGHT NOW_

_Anna: Wait! Please don't, I really can't talk right now._

_Kristoff: Please say you're OK, is your mom OK? Is your house OK? What the hell happened?!_

_Anna: I'm fine, mom is in the hospital, she's stable, but I have no other news. And the house, well, it's gone._

_Kristoff: Gone? What about your stuff?_

_Anna: I just spoke to the fire department, there wasn't anything left, except for Bob._

_Kristoff: I think I have some extra shirts that don't fit me anymore, and some small jackets and stuff, want them?_

_Anna: Actually, that would be amazing, I'm literally mooching off of Elsa's closet right now._

_Kristoff: You're at Elsas?_

_Anna: Yeah, she said I could stay here until everything played out._

_Kristoff: Wow, that's very, uh, trusting of you._

_Anna: What's that supposed to mean?_

_Kristoff: I mean that you hardly know her and you're staying at her house indefinitely, it's kind of weird._

_Anna: It's really not. We click really well Kristoff, and she's been nothing but super kind to me._

_Kristoff: Ok ok. Well I'll start gathering some stuff up, can I get her address? I'll come by later tonight._

Anna asked Elsa for the address and she punched it in.

_Anna: And hey, do you mind doing a mass text maybe? Telling everyone that everything's OK? I just still need to call Maurice to see if he'll be able to watch the rink for tomorrow, and call the insurance, and get in contact with Oaken, and a million other things._

_Kristoff: Maurice already knows, and he told me to tell you that if you stepped a foot inside that rink anytime within the next two weeks, he would personally lob it off. And Oaken is already in the loop, he said he doesn't expect to see you at all next week. But really, you need to take time off to rest and spend with your mom Anna, you've been running nonstop for over a year. You need this._

_Anna: Thank you Kristoff._

_Kristoff: See you tonight._

Anna let out a sigh of relief as she slammed her phone down and began to dig through the text messages. She had multiples from Merida and Mulan, and even a surprise one from Hans that she didn't bother to read and scrolled over. Unfortunately none of her missed calls were from the hospital, and that made her anxious.

Tapping the counter impatiently, Anna called the insurance agency and reported the fire. They agreed to send out surveyors the next day, and she was to meet them at noon.

Elsa on the other hand was busy cooking, chopping vegetables, mixing, and even getting a little bit of flour on her cheek. As Anna finally hung up, she caught sight of the blonde's face and tried not to snicker.

Elsa dumped a load of ingredients into a mixer and set it on auto, and when she turned, she caught eyes with Anna, who was grinning wildly.

"What?" Elsa asked, placing a hand on her hip.

"Nothing," Anna continued to smile, not taking her eyes off the girl.

"You're a really bad liar."

"So I've heard."

"And a flirt."

Anna was ready to retort back, but her mouth hung open for a moment in surprise. "That one I haven't heard," she attempted slowly.

Elsa raised an eyebrow and smirked before turning back to the mixer. Anna leaned her elbows on the bar curiously, trying to peer around the girl. When that failed, she slipped off the bar stool and walked around the bar, her hand trailing on the surface, and stopped right behind Elsa.

"Are you trying to be sneaky?" Elsa asked, her focus still on the counter in front of her.

Anna laughed, leaning against the backside of the bar, facing Elsa's back. "No, I'm quite aware that I walk like a guerrilla, so unfortunately I'm incapable of the element of surprise."

"That's good to know, I'll always hear you coming at least."

"...unless I'm lying, then I could be a ninja for all you know."

"Are you lying?" Elsa asked, turning around and facing her. She had her hands behind her back, and Anna saw that small bit of flour on her cheek again. She wanted to lean in and press her lips against her jawline, and trail kisses up and lick...

_Lick._

_Lick?_

_Wow. I want to lick her face. Calm down. Like, seriously Anna, calm the fuck down. There will be no face licking tonight._

_...but I really want to lick her face._

When Anna didn't respond, Elsa laughed nervously, "I don't even know what I'm saying anymore, I'm really just trying to distract you."

Anna raised an eyebrow, "Distract me? From what?"

"From _this." _Elsa raised both of her hands then in front of her mouth, revealing two clumps of flour. Before Anna could react, Elsa blew into them, sending flour directly into Anna's face. The blonde laughed wickedly as Anna stood there, blinking profusely, her face completely coated in the stuff.

"You have no idea what you have just unleashed," Anna spoke calmly, wiping at her eyes. Without another moments hesitation, the auburn dove to Elsa's side, grasping a fistful of flour from the counter and flung it in the blonde's direction. Elsa shrieked, attempting to dive out of the way and instead tripping on Anna's foot. Both girls came toppling down in a tangle of arms and legs, laughing hysterically, flour raining down upon them.

"I can't believe you did that!" Anna yelled, pushing herself up and realizing instantly that she was straddling the elder girl.

Elsa giggled, brushing the back of her hand across her face. "It's literally all over you."

"Is it?" Anna looked down at herself, and in fact she was pretty much covered in the stuff from her knees up. The girl rolled her eyes and looked down at Elsa, "Well it's your fault," she said sternly, smiling as her eyes roved over Elsa's figure. Her hair was up in a loose braid that was beginning to unravel, and her shirt was hiked up lightly, revealing a few inches of milky white skin that Anna found herself desperately wanting to touch.

"...are you ticklish?" She asked suddenly, her eyes flicking from Elsa's waist to her face.

The blonde furiously shook her head, "Don't you dare- AHH!"

Anna dove in, fingers digging in Elsa's sides, the girl squealing beneath her. The blonde lifted her knees in a sad attempt to protect herself, causing Anna to fall forward, catching herself a few inches from Elsa's face.

They both froze.

Anna's hair fell around them in untamed waves, both breathing heavily, their eye's boring into each others, trying to read the other's expression. Elsa slowly sat up on her elbows, closing the distance between them as her forehead gently touched Anna's.

The auburn could feel a shot of confidence course through her body, and without another moments hesitation, she leaned down, her lips grazing over Elsa's, trailing her cheek until she reached that that original puff of flour that she so desperately wanted to...

_DING DONG DING_

Anna shot up instantly, the sound of the doorbell jolting her from her thoughts.

Elsa seemed flustered as well, and when Anna finally climbed off her, both girls scrambled to their feet, faces flushed and batting at their hair and clothes, trying to look presentable.

"That must be Kristoff," Anna said awkwardly, taking a step backwards, "I'll, uh, i'll get it."

Anna scurried to the front door and gave her shirt a final shake before opening it. She was all smiles until she realized it wasn't Kristoff at the door, and it slipped quickly from her face.

"Hi."

Anna blinked curiously, and where she was expecting a big, blonde oaf to be standing was instead a woman that Anna had never seen before.

She was tall, with dark eyes and long brown wavy hair that was currently partially hiding under a knitted beanie. The woman was dressed warm yet extremely stylish, and she couldn't help but think of Elsa in regards to the similar wardrobe. If Anna could pick one word to describe her, it would simply be _beautiful._

"Hi, uh..." the girl pulled a crumpled piece of paper out of her pocket and double checked the iron numbers nailed to the side of the house, "Does...Elsa live here?"

Before Anna could say anything, the woman's eyes trailed over her questioningly, eyeing the flour that was clumped in her hair and probably smeared on her face. She stopped though at Anna's shirt, and raised an eyebrow in the girls direction, tilting her head slightly, as if amused.

And it was then that Anna knew.

"Anna? Why don't you invite Kristoff in?" Elsa called from inside.

The woman's gaze snapped to the voice behind the door, and a strange smile curled on her lips.

When Elsa didn't hear a response from either person, she jogged up to the door and placed a delicate hand on Anna's arm, which was still frozen in place to the door.

"Anna, you shouldn't leave Kristoff standing out there-"

Elsa froze, her body turning numb as her blue eyes caught with a pair of dark ones.

"Hello Elsa," the woman greeted, her gaze intense, taking a step forward.

_..._

_Emma._

* * *

Author: So I know all of FFnet is waiting for You Are and A Snowflake in Spring to update, so I thought I would push this out significantly earlier than I intended (honestly I've been having elsanna withdrawals so I thought, hey, maybe I should write a chapter and try to make myself feel better?). AND THANK YOU FOR 200+ followers! I FEEL SO SPECIAL! No but really, I'm glad you like the story.

Prepare for the shit to hit the fan ya'll. :p

Love you!


	9. Chapter 9

"Emma," Elsa breathed, her chest constricting as shock turned into confusion.

The woman smiled and held out her arms, as if to embrace her, but Elsa stayed firm, ignoring her welcoming arms. This seemed to offend Emma as she eyed the girl, taking note of the flour that was blatantly caked on _both _girls, in addition to her Berklee tee that 'Anna' was wearing.

"What are you doing here?" Elsa finally asked, her once gentle grip on Anna's arm becoming tense.

"I'm here for you," Emma said simply, as if it were obvious.

This answer seemed to anger Elsa who still hadn't left the doorway. "No," the blonde shook her head, her hand slipping from Anna's arm and dropping to her side, fisting up in anger. "You can't just show up like this."

Emma gripped the strap of her purse tightly. "I know that, and I'm here to talk. Just...please, will you let me explain?" the brunette's eyes flicked to Anna then, "...alone?"

Narrowing her eyes, Elsa took a step forward, "Maybe you should have thought of that _before_ you abandoned me in Boston."

Anna began to feel slightly uncomfortable under Emma's gaze, "You know, it's really OK, I can totally go..." and began to turn around, but Elsa held her in place. They locked eyes for a moment, and Anna saw a sadness that she had never seen before.

She needed her there.

Emma sniffed at the exchange and straightened her back in annoyance. "Elsa, why are you acting like this?" Her head snapped to Anna, a single eyebrow raised. "It can't be because of _her," _Emma looked at her up and down, then scoffed, "She's not your type."

"Anna has nothing to do with this."

The brunette let out an exaggerated laugh, "I _beg _to differ."

"Careful," Elsa warned, using herself as a barrier between the two girls.

"Oh, is that a threat?" Emma laughed bitterly, "You're more like your father than you know. So, prove me wrong. Who started the flour fight," she motioned to both girls' hair, " ...you or her?"

Elsa was stunned silent, her eyes drifting to the ground in embarrassment as her cheeks reddened. Anna stood behind her, eyes bouncing back and forth between the two girls, trying to keep up with the conversation.

"Tsk. Tsk. That's what I thought. It looks like the only difference between our flour skirmish last year and _yours..._" Emma pointed to Anna, finally acknowledging her presence, "...is that Elsa and I had hot, wild sex The. Entire. Night. Afterwards."

Anna's eyes shot to Elsa, and she could see the defeat in her body language. Her shoulders were slumped, hands clasped in front of her, and her gaze downturned, attempting to hide her shame behind her hair that had fallen around her face. It seemed she was always being beaten down, not only by her father, but now by Emma as well.

This time, Anna wouldn't stand for it.

With a rush of confidence, Anna took a brisk step forward, resting her hand on Elsa's shoulder who jumped slightly, startled by the contact. The blonde looked back at her, surprised, but Anna could only give a small smile, her free hand snaking around Elsa's and squeezing it in assurance.

Both girls seemed to have forgotten Emma's presence as Anna's eyes bore into the blonde's, searching through the mix of emotions that was swirling in them. The auburn could feel her heart beating, pounding in her chest, and she cursed the moment Emma ever ringed that doorbell.

_Elsa, please don't freak out, but I'm totally going to kiss you._

Anna wished Elsa could hear her mental proclamation, but since there wasn't a psychic link currently between them, Anna had to do it the old-fashioned way.

Moving her hand from Elsa's back, Anna trailed her fingers over her shoulders, up the side of her neck to her cheek, using her thumb to gently brush at the flour that still rested there. The younger girl could feel her shiver under her touch, then with a content sigh, Elsa leaned into her hand, her expression changing from confusion to complete adoration as her eyes crinkled with a smile.

Anna grinned, flashing her teeth as she leaned in, her lips meeting Elsa's gently. Her whole body flared up when the blonde suddenly pulled her closer, and Anna just about died as all of her senses were suddenly filled with _Elsa. _Anna breathing in Elsa's scent of vanilla and mint (or was it her own?) and her hands trailing down her soft arms brought her on edge, and she almost deepened the kiss when a loud cough came from her side.

Both girls had forgotten about their visitor, and when Anna pulled away, she looked at Emma with a slightly dazed, yet extremely satisfied smile, saying nothing.

Emma attempted to sniff away threatening tears as she glared at the pair. "I didn't realize the relationship we had meant so little to you Elsa," the brunette tore her eyes away and skipped down the steps to a cab waiting on the curb.

Anna and Elsa watched her, both of them still clutching each other, Elsa's expression slightly dazed as Anna's confidence drifted.

"Are you OK?" Anna finally asked, ignoring the creeping feeling of guilt when the cab turned down the road and out of sight. She turned to Elsa with both hands still holding her arms.

"I-I don't know," she said honestly, her eyes drifting from the road and back to Anna. She realized she was still clutching the girls waist and quickly shot her hands back, folding them awkwardly in front of her. "You really...you really didn't have to do that."

Anna's hands slipped from Elsa's when she moved away, and the girl instantly missed the contact. She wrung them out nervously, and shivered slightly from the cold. "She was being so mean to you, and I just couldn't take it."

Elsa was ready to respond, but another car pulled onto the curb, one Anna instantly recognized.

"Kristoff!" Anna called, and was surprised when Kristoff, Merida _and_ Mulan jumped out of the car, boxes in their arms.

The auburn looked at them curiously as they huffed up the stairs.

"Anna! I would hug you, but I can't." Mulan said with a laugh, trying to balance two full boxes that were stacked in her arms.

Elsa instantly went to help her, Mulan slipping one of the boxes into her hands and smiled in thanks.

"What is all this stuff?" Anna asked as she went to grab a box from Merida who couldn't even see over them.

"You pretty much said it, it's _stuff_." Kristoff said with a smile, following Elsa as she led them inside the house.

"Stuff?" Anna asked as everyone dropped the boxes in the entryway.

Mulan jumped in then. "Yeah! We called a few people, and collected stuff for you. Clothes, shoes, hair stuff, school stuff, girl stuff, nerd stuff, you name it."

Anna's eyes began to water as she looked at the boxes, and she tried desperately to sniff them away. "Guys...I don't even know what to say."

"A thanks is enough," Kristoff grinned and engulfed the small girl in a hug. Merida and Mulan followed, squeezing Anna into a group hug as the girl tried to control her emotions.

Elsa watched them from the side, feeling out of place in front of Anna's friends, and found the moment bittersweet.

Anna's voice rang out in a whine a moment later, "Wait, where's Elsa? Why isn't she hugging me? I need _everyone's _emotional support here."

"Yeah!" Merida lifted her head and reached a hand out towards the blonde, "Get over here girly, you're offering her a place to stay for cryin' out loud."

Elsa grinned and accepted Merida's hand, who pulled it quite forcefully, whipping Elsa into the group embrace. Everyone laughed and hugged it out until Anna piped up again, "Ok guys, seriously, I can't breath."

Kristoff was the first to let go, but kept an arm around the small girl, "You know if you need anything else, we're only a phone call away."

"I know, thank you guys so much."

Kristoff pulled his arm away and noticed the flour that was now on his jacket. He looked at it curiously, then down at Anna, and noticed the girl was literally coated in it. "Gee Anna," Kristoff swatted at his arm, the flour coming off his sleeve in puffs, "Clearly you're just as disgusting here as you are at my house."

Anna laughed nervously, eyeing Elsa from across the group. "Yeah uh, we got into a bit of a mess trying to make...what _were_ you trying to make?"

Elsa laughed, "Pizza, but we're wearing the majority of the ingredients."

Mulan and Merida laughed, but Kristoff remained silent, slightly irritated.

"Well, we'll let you get back to your 'pizza making'." Mulan grinned, draping an arm over Merida's shoulders and leading her towards the door.

Anna giggled, "Oh please, you're just jealous."

Mulan stopped, releasing Merida who then decided to drag Kristoff out the door, and raised an eyebrow, glancing between Elsa and Anna. "Not at all, I've got my own lady to go pizza-makin' with."

Anna's jaw went slack for a moment, then turned into a huge grin, "Mulan! Scandalous!"

The fencer winked at Anna, then gave Elsa a quick look before shutting the door behind her, "I'm kidding!" Mulan called from the other side, her voice fading as she walked down the steps. "Actually, half-kidding!"

Anna and Elsa waited a moment, small smiles on their faces as they heard Kristoff's car turn over and drive away. Neither of them realized they had been holding their breath.

Finally, Anna let out a heavy sigh. "Today has been insane," she said, leaning against the door and sliding to the floor, pushing at one of the boxes with her toe.

Elsa silently moved next to her and did the same, both girls staring straight ahead with their eyes out of focus, leaning against each other slightly.

"Elsa, are you OK?" Anna asked again, interrupting the silence.

The blonde shook her head, "Honestly, no. But it's nothing compared to what you're going through. I feel selfish for even feeling like this."

"You're kidding, right?" Anna turned to her then, scooting herself so she was facing her. "The love of your life literally just showed up at your doorstep after months of no communication. You're not supposed to be OK." The auburn crossed her eyes in thought, "Now I feel stupid for even asking to begin with."

"You selfless bitch, how dare you care about my feelings," Elsa deadpanned, cracking a smile.

Anna laughed, "First, you just said 'bitch', and that's amazing. Second, I can't help it! I want everyone to be happy."

"Why don't you focus on your own happiness? I think that takes priority here."

"Well, why don't you focus on yours?"

Elsa took a deep breath, "Because the last time I did, my girlfriend stood me up at a station in Boston and my father sent me across the country to the middle of nowhere as punishment for 'focusing on my happiness'."

Anna bit her lip nervously and shrugged, "I know the whole thing is awful, but I'm glad he sent you here."

Elsa looked at her then, her head slightly tilted, her eyes wide in surprise.

Anna could only smile at her, "...because, you know. If you were never sent here, I never would have met you."

"Anna..." Elsa took one of her hands and covered it with her own. She seemed to be struggling, her fingers grazing over the top of Anna's palm as she thought. There were a few seconds of silence before Elsa finally spat out the question she was dying to ask.

"...why did you kiss me?"

The auburn raised an eyebrow, her focus moving from Elsa's delicate fingers to her eyes, "Other than wanting to see that expression on Emma's face?"

They both laughed weakly, and Anna smiled shyly, her cheeks turning pink. "Honestly, I kissed you because I wanted to."

"You weren't doing it as a favor? To try and protect me?"

"No, well, yes..." Anna shook her head and scooted herself closer, allowing their knees to touch. "Confession?"

"Confess."

"I've wanted to kiss you since you got whipped cream on your nose."

This made Elsa smile, her shoulders relaxing as she recalled the night they went out for coffee.

"Confession?" Elsa asked, reaching for Anna's other hand.

"Confess."

"I wanted to kiss you the moment you took off your helmet at the rink that first night we met. Who would have thought that rockin' hockey player belting out Boston was this sweet, selfless, gorgeous girl?"

Anna scoffed, "Are you saying I sing like a man?"

"NO! God no, you actually sing really well."

Anna raised an eyebrow, "How long had you been watching me that night?"

Elsa's face turned a shade of crimson, "Uhm, I-"

"Elsa, I'm totally kidding." Anna cut in, giving the girls' hands a squeeze. But her expression changed then, and the younger girl scrunched her eyebrows in thought.

"Do you...do you still love her?"

The question surprised Elsa, and the blonde's focus drifted behind Anna's shoulder as she thought about the answer.

"You know, I'm not sure anymore." Elsa looked back at Anna then and smiled sadly. "But this wont be the last time I see her. She's stubborn, she'll be back."

"I know someone else who is just as stubborn."

"So do I," Elsa gave a lopsided grin as she looked at Anna, and just then, Anna's stomach started to rumble, causing Elsa to break into hysterical laughter.

"Oh my gawd..." Anna pulled her hands away and hid her face in them. "Thank you stomach for interrupting this very serious moment. What an asshole."

Elsa tried to contain her giggles as she climbed to her feet, then helped Anna up. "Well I'm glad you're hungry, 'cause I'm actually starving."

Anna looked down at herself, "Well, since we're wearing the majority of the crust ingredients, want to order delivery?"

Elsa bit her lip, trying to hold back a smile, "...does Saucy Mama's deliver?"

"Girl, there is no other pizza on the planet that I would eat...except maybe yours...then Saucy Mama's. Let me guess, vegetarian?"

The blonde rolled her eyes as she walked to the kitchen, reaching for her phone. "Normally, yes. But I want to try something different tonight."

Anna raised her shoulders up and down in excitement, "Ooooo look at you rebelling again. What are you feeling?"

"What do you normally have?"

"Meat lovers. A spectacular blend of pastrami, pepperoni and two types of sausage. You'll probably gain ten pounds just from eating it."

A curious smiled curled onto Elsa's lips, "Mmmm, that sounds amazing."

* * *

Author:

Some of my favorite review quotes:

"However if Emma were to have a heart attack and her body dumped in the river near Hans' house, I wouldn't complain." - Nik the Dinosaur

"...you totally should have just killed Anna's Mom would have made the story better." - Pride365

"Omgomgomgomgomg plEASE DONT TEAR ELSA AND ANNA APART EMMA GET THE FUCK OUT" - Guest

"Holy frick frack tick tack crackerjack patter pat nick knack kit Kat flatter smack in the mother fucking ass..." - Guest

"HOLY FUCKIHG SHIT NUUUUUUU NUNUNUNUUUUUUUUU. FUCK SHIT FUCK SHIT FUUUUUUUUU, MY ELSANNA!" - OneShotMasta

You guys are hilarious and I love you all.

Prepare for the next chapter, we'll get a little more of Elsa's perspective on all this.

Oh, and Saucy Mama's is in Big Bear, CA.


	10. Chapter 10

Elsa felt completely off.

Earlier Elsa had dropped Anna off at the site of her house to meet with the insurance agents, and to also get her car which still stood unscathed in the driveway. They had to part ways, Elsa having a long practice scheduled to make up for the past two days, and Anna not only having to deal with the insurance, but finally got the OK from Doctor Isles to visit her mother. She knew it was a trip she should do alone, despite the fact that Elsa wanted to be there, just for emotional support.

The girl sighed, U2's Joshua Tree album humming in the background, music Anna had been blasting from a borrowed Jambox when she was in the shower that morning. Elsa instantly liked it, and Anna surprised her with a burned CD for her to listen to at practice.

Elsa sped up on the ice and let her body balance before jumping into the air, her ankles locking in a sloppy salchow and landing awkwardly, almost toppling over.

She did feel ten pounds heavier after eating the insanely meaty concoction Saucy Mama's claimed was a pizza. And after that, the entire night felt tense, even after their confessions. They didn't touch once, she noted, and even as they ate pizza and watched Scott Pilgrim, they sat on opposite ends of the couch, their legs curled underneath themselves as if to avoid their feet touching.

Elsa knew it wasn't just Anna, it was herself.

She was scared. Not just of these new-found feeling for Anna, and the possibility that Anna may return them, but now Emma was back.

Emma.

_Is Anna like Emma? Would she leave too?_

Elsa tried to clear her mind and attempt the salchow again, gaining speed and gliding on the ice, letting the wind push at her hair, taking a deep breath.

_We aren't even together._

Elsa jumped, and she knew instantly that she didn't have enough height. She stumbled on the landing, not fully finishing the last rotation and fell to the ice, sliding on its surface, allowing the wall to stop her with a gentle bump.

"So this is the music you're choosing for your short program?"

Elsa knew it was Emma instantly, and had actually been expecting her. She knew she would show up, it was only a matter of time.

"Go away Emma," Elsa called calmly, shakily rising and dusting the ice off her legs. She pushed herself off again and continued to skate across the ice, focusing on her routine.

"You aren't getting enough height," Emma added, and Elsa could see her walking towards the edge of the ice from the corner of her eye.

"I _know_."

"And you need to lock yourself tighter to get the full rotation..."

"I _know."_

"And you're distracted, you aren't focused."

Elsa glared at her as she skated by, and Emma could only smile internally.

_Same ol' Elsa._

Emma sighed heavily and leaned onto the railing, watching the blonde carefully. "Elsa, _please _talk to me. I came here to apologize."

Elsa stopped abruptly then, and with her hands on her hips, skated in Emma's direction. "What are you apologizing _ for _exactly?" She asked, a fierceness in her tone. "Is it for disappearing completely from my life without a word, or for how you treated Anna and I last night?"

Emma for once looked nervous, and she gripped the railing to the rink tightly, trying to keep her hands from shaking. "For everything," she said honestly, and when Elsa finally stopped in front of her, she could see the hurt in the blonde's eyes.

"Look Elsa, last night...I was awful, I know that, and I'm sorry. I was just upset."

The brunette looked up at her finally, and the usual confidence that naturally graced her features was gone, replaced with a stunning sadness.

Elsa had forgotten how beautiful she was.

"I flew out here to try and get you back, to try and explain everything that happened, _everything. _Why I didn't meet you at the station that day, why I cut all contact with you." A small, sad laugh escaped her lips as Emma looked up at the ceiling, trying to keep threatening tears at bay. "I feel so stupid. I didn't realize you had already moved on."

The brunette looked at her again, and Elsa was struck by the emotion in her dark eyes. Emma was the strong one, her rock. It was weird for her to see her sad.

"...I promise you," she continued, running a hand through her dark hair. "I didn't mean to lash out, I was just so surprised and I didn't know how to react."

Elsa let out a heavy breath and pushed herself closer. "I haven't moved on," she said simply, her eyes dropping to the floor.

Emma looked at her questioningly, "But, what about Anna?"

The blonde shook her head, still avoiding the brunette's gaze. "Anna was protecting me. But I'm not going to lie to you, I do like her..." Elsa looked up then, her blue eyes like icy daggers, "You hurt me more than you'll ever know, and it's going to take time for me to move on. But you can't just show up like this, I can't focus."

"Elsa please, just let me explain..."

"-What is there to explain?" Elsa spat back, "You took advantage of me, and toyed with my emotions, and when the time came to actually act on them, you _ran._"

"Elsa, I _love _you." Tears were falling freely from Emma's eyes as she leaned farther over the railing, trying to somehow get her message across. "I love you and I'm here for you. I lost my job because of this, and your father almost had me arrested. Do you know what would have happened if the word got out? _Olympic Hopeful Elsa Halvorsen, underage daughter of Boston Politician Caught In Homosexual Relationship with Skating Coach."_

Elsa was stunned silent for the second time in 24 hours, and Emma could only shake her head. "I could have cared less if the world knew, I loved you and I wanted to shout it from the rooftops. But it was never about me, it was about you, and I had to protect you."

Elsa crossed her arms over her chest, "I didn't _need _protection, I needed you!"

"Your father threatened to make it public! It would have destroyed your career! You wouldn't have been able to step foot on the ice in _any_ circuit, let alone the _Olympics_. Your career would have been over."

"My father...I thought-"

"You're too good to throw all of this away for some girl, but I'm too selfish to let you go."

Elsa looked up at her finally, her eyes wet with tears, "You aren't just _some girl._"

Emma smiled at this and let out a content sigh, "You have no idea how good it feels to hear that."

The blonde's eyes dropped to the floor again, focusing on her skates. She didn't know what to say, and all the feelings she had stashed deep in her heart were suddenly flooding through her body again.

"Hey..." Emma spoke, leaning back from the edge of the ice. "Tomorrow, after practice, want to grab a coffee? And just...talk?" Her eyes were hopeful, and when Elsa finally looked back up at her, she knew she couldn't refuse.

"Sure."

* * *

Anna was nervous, and scared, and seriously felt like throwing up when she finally pulled into the hospital parking lot. She sat in her car for ten minutes, letting The Cranberries 'Dreams' on repeat to sooth her nerves.

Normally she would be rocking out to Van Halen, or _maybe _No Doubt if she were to venture into the 90's, but today was different. She didn't feel like rocking out at all, and really only wanted to wallow in her own depression for a couple minutes. Plus, the Cranberries was her mom's favorite band.

With a final exhale, Anna flung herself out of the car and tried not to rush through the door. When the nurse saw her, she acknowledged her instantly and picked up the phone, dialing Dr. Isles.

Anna waited, her hands clasped behind her back, rocking back and forth on her toes. Mulan had given her some flats and a pair of green deck shoes that she was currently sporting, along with some skinny jeans from Rapunzel and a plain navy over-sized hoodie from Kristoff's freshman year that didn't fit him anymore.

_It even smells like him. Weird._

"Anna!" Dr. Isles suddenly whisked through the door, beaming ear to ear.

Anna waved awkwardly as the doctor approached her, not sure if she should shake his hand or hug him. Luckily, she didn't have to do either.

"I have great news," he said, placing a gentle hand on her back and leading her back to where he came. "Your mother is responding well to the medication, and her condition has improved greatly."

Anna said nothing as the doctor led her through the halls, their steps bouncing off the muted green walls.

"Though I need to warn you," he continued, stopping in front of a closed door. "Your mother has been badly burned, and she will have scars. I just need you to be prepared for what you're about to see."

Anna hesitated, "Is she..."

"-She's not disfigured," he clarified, "...but she's heavily bandaged."

Anna nodded, "Is she conscious? Has she been speaking?"

Doctor Isles scratched at the back of his neck, "Yes actually, she's been very vocal. The family resemblance between you two is uncanny."

Anna tilted her head to the side, "What do you mean by that?"

Doctor Isles laughed, "Why don't you go in and see her. She's sleeping, and I'm sure hearing your voice will make her happy."

Anna nodded at this, and the doctor patted her on the back. "I'll be back in about twenty minutes," then turned on his heel and left.

The auburn stared at the door handle for a full minute before finally pressing her fingers down on it, hearing a friendly _click _and the door swinging open.

Anna was instantly hit with a heavy wave of floral scent.

She hesitantly stepped into the dimly lit room, and every single space was filled with flower bouquets, balloons, and wreaths. The site almost brought her to tears as she delicately traced one the cards on the bouquet nearest her.

_Get Well Ms. Fredricksen. - Hans_

The auburn let out a weak laugh, remembering a time when Hans struggled with the spelling of her last name and felt a small sense of pride that he finally got it right. The small laugh though turned into a choking sob as she forced her attention away to the sleeping woman on the hospital bed. A machine beeped next to her, and she could see the gentle rise and fall of her chest under the sheets. Her features could hardly be seen under the bandages that were wrapped around her head and covering the right side of her face.

Anna's lip began to quiver as her eyes welled up. She took a seat next to the bed on a small stool, her hands shaking as she reached for the identity tag around her mother's slim wrist.

_Fredricksen, Ericka_

Anna bit her lip as she traced the small piece of plastic, eyeing her mother's right hand which was heavily bandaged. With a shaky sigh, she reached for her left, her fingers enclosing around the woman's limp hand.

"Mom..." she began, squeezing her hand, the beeping of the heart monitor bashing in her ears. She couldn't contain the flood of guilt that suddenly overtook her, and small sob escaped, then another, and soon she was leaning over, one hand to her stomach and the other clutching the sleeping woman's hand, her body racking in grief.

"I'm so, so sorry," she cried, leaning her forehead against the side of the bed. "I should've listened to Kristoff. I was wrong, so so wrong. I can't do this without you. I don't know what to do."

The limp hand in Anna's grip began to twitch, and a moment later the palm flipped over, and slim fingers tapped in a slow, yet familiar pattern against Anna's hand.

_Tap Tap Tap-Tap Tap_

"...Mom?" She asked nervously.

"Anna..." a cracked whisper came from the woman, and the auburn's head instantly shot up. She wiped at her eyes and sniffed as she leaned over the bed, staring into her mother's face.

"Mom! Oh mom, I'm so sorr-"

"Shhh," Ericka silenced her, opening one good eye and taking a moment to let her vision adjust. She decided that it was too bright and let it close again. "Honey, it's not your fault," she spoke slowly, her voice raspy and barely audible.

"But it is! I was being selfish, you needed help."

Ericka gave the slightest shake of her head, "No. Well, yes. I do need help."

The woman cracked her eye open again to gaze at her daughter, a small, weak smile gracing her cracked lips. "None of this is your fault. I should have been taking care of you. That's what your dad would have done."

Anna's eyes sparked with hope at the mention of her dad in past tense. "Do you remember? This past year?"

Ericka shook her head again and let out a heavy sigh. "Not as much as I should," she said slowly, her eyes growing wet. "I spoke to a psych doctor this morning. I'm getting help."

Anna smiled at this, and her mother attempted to squeeze her daughter's hand. "I'm going to get better honey. For you, for me, for us. I'm never leaving you again." A stray tear fell from the woman's eye as Anna leaned in to gently hug her, careful to avoid any bandaged areas. Ericka smiled, leaning the left side of her head against her daughter's temple and whispered heartfelt apologies over and over again into her ear.

Anna stayed for over an hour, well after her mother had fallen asleep and just watched her. She was smiling to herself, her mind drifting when a buzz from her pocket brought her back to the present. She smiled broader, knowing it was Elsa, but when she looked at the screen, her face fell into confusion.

_Hans: i hope ur ok_

Anna looked at the text curiously, then scrolled up, forgetting that he had sent a text the day before as well.

_Hans: i heard about ur mom. call me anytime kiddo_

_Anna: Wow, stranger danger.  
_

_Hans: maybe. how r u?_

_Anna: I'm better, visiting my mom right now. Thank you for the flowers._

_Hans: their just flowers. your mom deserves more, you deserve more_

_Anna: Well either way, thank you._

_Hans: ur welcome ;x_

Anna blinked at the last message, over-analyzing the strange smiley that he had just sent. A second later, her phone buzzed again.

_Hans: i kno ur going thru a hard time, but im hear for u. if u ever need nething, or want to get dinner or sumthing, lemme kno _

_Anna: Jeeze Hans, You need to learn how to spell._

_Hans: :p nevah._

* * *

Author:

It's short, but hey, it's the second update within 10 hours, so whatevs man.

Damn, two updates in one day! Seriously! Well bitches, I must really love you all or something.

...or hate you. ***evil laugh***

And Happy Early Birthday jelly9918! Sort of?


	11. Chapter 11

Anna stood patiently outside of Elsa's house and rang the doorbell. The sky was darkening and it had begun to snow again, which Anna could only roll her eyes at as she kept brushing snow that kept building on her beanie and shoulders.

The door rattled and opened a crack, Elsa peeking her head outside.

"Anna? What are you doing? I gave you a key."

The auburn shrugged. "I know, but I feel weird just letting myself in."

Elsa laughed and shook her head, opening the door farther so Anna could walk in. "This is your home too, I don't want you to feel weird."

Anna tossed her messenger bag on the kitchen counter and jumped into one of the barstools, swinging her legs back and forth. "I didn't mean it like _that." _Anna paused thoughtfully for a moment, "Actually, maybe I did."

Elsa bit her lower lip in worry, "Is it because you're uncomfortable?"

"No!" Anna shot her hands up in defense, "I most definitely didn't mean it like that. I'm just not used to being...you know, taken care of. You're just so _nice._"

The blonde rolled her eyes, "I know you would have done the same for me, minus all the drama."

"Speaking of drama..." Anna grimaced, "Did Emma show up at your practice?"

Elsa sighed and rolled her eyes, then slipped into the stool across from her. "Yes, as predicted."

"What did she say?" Anna blinked, then shot a hand over her mouth. "Oh my God I'm being so nosey right now. Just ignore me, you totally don't have to answer that."

_Please answer that._

"It's OK, really," Elsa assured her. "It's actually nice to have someone to talk to about it. It's not like I can call up my father and ask him for relationship advice."

Anna did everything in her power not to raise her eyebrow at the word 'relationship'. The day had already been an emotional roller coaster (as had all the previous days since the fire) and she found herself suddenly...sensitive. Emotions were heightened, and she was constantly swinging from extreme happiness to sadness in a short moment, and everything that involved Elsa effected her more than she cared to admit.

When Anna didn't respond, Elsa took it as a cue to continue. "She actually apologized, and...told me what happened, why she didn't meet me at the station." Elsa filled Anna in on all the details, from Emma losing her job to trying to protect her. She made sure to leave out the part of Emma confessing that she still loved her.

"She invited you for coffee?" Anna asked when Elsa finished her story. When the blonde nodded, Anna swiveled on her chair, trying not to appear disappointed. "Are you gunna go?"

"Yes. I think I owe her at least one cup of coffee, she did fly all the way out here just to see me."

_But she broke your heart! She left you alone with no explanation and literally disappeared from your life for months. And what about me?_

_Wait, what about me?_

Anna blinked, realization dawning on her. The reality was there was still so much she didn't know about Elsa, and the fact that she was suddenly so possessive of her made her uncomfortable. She liked her. She knew that. But really, Elsa was an all-star figure skater with a huge future ahead of her, while she was just a small-town girl with a crazy mother and no prospects. And Emma was already part of Elsa's life, had planted herself in her timeline while Anna seemed to have trouble finding a place to fit in. Maybe this was just a blink in her life, something she would think back on fondly years from now, the details fading until all that was left was the 'idea' of them. Nothing more.

"Yeah," Anna finally chimed in. "That's fair, right?"

* * *

Anna was laying in bed, headphones covering her ears, but no music was playing. She was listening to the sounds of the house, or more of the _lack _of sounds, for it seemed even Elsa didn't breath when she slept. It was past midnight, and Elsa had school tomorrow while Anna would be spending time with her mom at the hospital for the week and hunting for a new apartment, something affordable for her and her mother when she was well enough to move back home. Also, she knew she couldn't stay with Elsa forever.

And Elsa had a date with Emma after practice.

The idea infuriated Anna and was literally the one thing that was keeping her awake. She knew it wasn't just 'coffee', and from the few minutes Anna had to observe Emma, she knew she was a manipulator, and that she had every intention of wrapping Else back around her finger.

At least, that's what she _wanted _to think.

With a heavy sigh, Anna flopped to her side and reached for her phone which was charging on the nightstand.

_Anna: Hey Mulan, you awake?_

_Mulan: Fredricksen! She liiiiiiives!_

_Anna: Har har._

_Mulan: How's your mama bear?_

_Anna: She's really great actually, I finally got to see her today._

_Mulan: I wasn't actually talking about your mom..._

_Anna: Wut? Wait, you mean Elsa?_

_Mulan: Kidding! But now that we're on the subject, how is our incredibly sexy and stunning senior-friend?_

_Anna: She's asleep. But hey, I have a question._

_Mulan: Is it a lesbian question?_

_Anna: No..._

_Mulan: That's disappointing. Anyway, shoot._

_Anna: Have you ever been attracted to men?_

_Mulan: …_

_Mulan: …_

_Mulan: Are you SURE this isn't an indirect lesbian question?_

_Anna: JUST ANSWER THE QUESTION_

_Mulan: OK! Ok. Uhm, sure? I do find men attractive (you know I love me some Dante Basco) but I would only want to have sex with women._

_Anna: K, thx._

_Mulan: Wow there lady, you don't get to blow me off that easily._

_Anna: This isn't a phone call, so technically this is a never-ending conversation as long as I don't delete your thread, so thus impossible to actually blow you off :p_

_Mulan: Smart-ass._

_Anna: You know it :p_

_Mulan: But really, are you OK? I mean, I know you're not, but all that aside, what's going on?_

_Mulan: ...you know you can talk to me._

_Anna: I'm just...nvm._

_Mulan: What's wrong?_

_Anna: I can't tell you._

_Mulan: Yes you can, and trust me, it will make you feel better._

Anna put her phone on silent and tossed it back onto the nightstand. Mulan had been one of her best friends for years and the girl had a sixth sense when it came to Anna and her mood swings. She always knew when something was wrong, and had always been there for her in the past. But now, Anna felt this was something she needed to figure out on her own.

She just wasn't sure how to go about it.

* * *

Elsa was wide awake, staring at the falling snow out the window. It had gotten colder over the past few days, and the weather harsher, as if fate decided to match the weather with Elsa's sour mood.

Emma's return was brewing on her mind, and she had an awful feeling in her gut that she just couldn't shake. The night before, when she stood on her own doorstep, not only was Elsa completely insulted, but also hurt. If Anna hadn't been there, if Anna hadn't _kissed _her, she probably would have broken down in tears right on her own fucking porch.

Elsa rolled over and looked at her door, imagining Anna sleeping in the bed down the hall. A small smile tugged at her lips as she imagined the girls' hair in what will be a wild frenzy in the morning, and wondered what crazy things she dreamt about to make her move around in her sleep so much.

Then she thought of Emma, and how perfect she looked when she woke up. How her hair always had that slight wave, and how her skin was tanned, flawless and smooth, even in the darkest winter months. She only smiled with her lips, and rarely flashed her teeth even though they were a stunning white. She was strong, confident, and knew exactly who she was and never questioned herself or the decisions she made.

Emma and Anna couldn't be more different.

Anna was still discovering herself, still growing, still unsure. She _had_ confidence, she proved that the night before with the kiss, but it was different. It wasn't presumptuous or arrogant, and there was a complexity behind those bright eyes of hers that Elsa couldn't quite pin down. She thought of Anna's skin and what little she had seen of it. The girl was usually bundled up, but Elsa caught a glimpse of freckled shoulders that morning when Anna walked from the bathroom to her room in nothing but a towel.

Elsa let out a frustrated breath and rolled over again, eyes back on the window. Her mind drifted back and forth from Emma to Anna, and it would for another hour before finally drifting into a restless sleep.

The next morning, Elsa slogged through her morning routines, normally awake bright and early to make a protein shake and go on a jog through the neighborhood before school. But this time, she overslept her alarm and was almost late for class, the only enjoyment that morning being a quick glance at a sleeping Anna as she rushed past her bedroom, the girl's head completely and fabulously disheveled.

School went by too quickly, much to Elsa's disdain, and the talk of the town was Anna, the fire, and her mother.

The entire school seemed to be aware that Elsa held the most information, and students she had never even seen before bombarded her with questions the entire day. She wasn't sure how much information she should give out, and most answers were a simple 'I don't know,' much to everyone's disappointment.

At lunch, the elder girl was eternally grateful when Mulan saved her from another prying student, and led her to Anna's usual lunch table.

"Just ignore them," the fencer smiled, patting her on the back as they sat down, Elsa sitting in Anna's spot and Mulan slipping in next to her.

The group was already in the loop, for Anna had been texting them frequently not only over the weekend, but that morning as well.

Elsa was disappointed to find her text thread from Anna empty.

_Elsa: Hey Anna, just checking in on you, how's your mom doing today?_

The blonde looked up and saw Mulan staring at her, in which she could only smile awkwardly in response. "Thank you so much for bringing Anna all that stuff on Saturday, it made her really happy." she forced, trying to keep the fencer's intense gaze off her.

"It wasn't a problem," Mulan responded, eyeing the girl carefully. "...just doing what friends do."

Elsa nodded, "She's lucky to have friends like you."

"Maybe," the raven-haired girl said with a laugh, "But friends can't solve everything."

Elsa cocked her head to the side, "I'm sorry, what did you mean by that?" She wasn't going to beat around the bush with Mulan. She was her favorite of Anna's friends, and was generally pretty honest, but she was in no place to play word games with her.

"I mean..." Mulan sat for a moment, pensive, her eyes going out of focus, "I mean that Anna is going through a lot right now, _more than you know._"

Elsa looked at the girl questioningly, but when Mulan turned her attention to her phone, she decided not to push further.

And then the lunch bell rang. And then school ended. And then she had practice. And then Emma was waiting.

"Elsa!" Emma sang, skipping up to the blonde and wrapping her arms around her. "Thank you so much for meeting me," she said, her voice muffled by Elsa's thick parka.

Night had fallen on the small town of Arendelle, and Elsa had just pulled up to the coffee shop and slipped out of her car. Emma was always early, punctual, and part of this is what landed her the coaching job initially.

The younger girl wasn't expecting the hug and froze by the contact, and even as Emma pulled away, her lips set in a pleasant smile, she couldn't get her body to relax. "Hi."

The brunette let out a content sigh and turned to the coffee shop, "So what's the deal with this place? Is there not a Starbucks around here or something? Maybe a Dunkin' Donuts?"

Elsa rolled her eyes as she pulled open the door, letting Emma enter first. "Arendelle is a small town, they don't really have fast food here."

"I would hardly consider Starbucks fast food..."

"You're kidding, right? They have a _drive-thru."_

"Hey! No one is allowed to say the 'S' word here while in this establishment!" Snow yelled from the counter, a smile plastered to her face. "Hey Elsa!" she then added with a wave.

"Hey Snow," Elsa greeted, walking briskly to the counter, "May I have a...that triple chocolate..."

"-Anna special?"

"Yes, please?"

"Sure, and for you?" Snow then turned to Emma, who was looking at Elsa in surprise. It took a moment for her to realize that both girls were waiting on her. "Oh! Well, one, i'll have a nonfat latte, two, no foam, and add a Splenda, three, steam that to 190 degrees and add the Splenda during the steam, that would be great."

Snow leaned on the counter and cocked her head to the side, "Not to be rude miss, but one, we don't have Splenda, two, we can't add sugar while it's steaming because it clogs up our steam wands, and three, you actually listed five steps and piggy-backed two."

Emma placed a hand on her hip and raised an eyebrow, "_Starbucks _doesn't have a problem adding sugar when it steams."

"I bet, and they also have a multi-billion dollar corporation backing them up so they can break as many steam wands as they want without reciprocation." Snow shrugged then, "I have Equal and regular cane sugar, so take your pick."

Elsa was doing everything in her power not to laugh as Emma reluctantly picked Equal and snarled at Snow throughout the rest of the transaction. Emma mumbled to herself as they made their way to the tables, the brunette picking the same exact spot Elsa and Anna had sat in the week before.

"So what the hell is an 'Anna Special'?" Emma asked the moment she sat down. She was leaning on her elbows, her gaze piercing.

"Oh, actually I'm not really sure, it has a lot of chocolate and espresso in it, but it's really good."

"Is it non-fat?"

"I doubt it."

"Since when did you start drinking crap like that?"

"It's not crap, it's actually really good."

"You know you shouldn't be drinking that anyway, you need to maintain a certain weight, plus it's just not good for you."

"I can't help but wonder if we're still talking about the drink..."

Emma tapped on the table irritably while Elsa crossed her arms across her chest, raising an eyebrow in defiance.

"I'm just looking out for you, I want you to be the best you can be."

The drinks were finally delivered by a very silent Snow, who practically tossed the two mugs onto the table before scuffling off back behind the safety of her counter. Elsa reached for hers instantly and took a sip, not taking her eyes off Emma. "I find it funny how bothered you are by this," she said, taking another drink and tapping the mug with her index finger before putting it down.

Emma rolled her eyes, "You never used to think my annoyance was funny. Back in the day, I believe you called it '_endearing'._

"Yeah, well, things are different now."

"Are they really all that different?" Emma leaned in her elbows, her steaming mug untouched as she tried to catch Elsa's eyes. "I know you still have feelings for me, otherwise you wouldn't be here."

Elsa said nothing as Emma leaned in further, her hand dancing on the table, creeping closer to Elsa's until she finally tapped on the back of her palm. "Why did you come here?"

The blonde leaned back in her chair, the air around them becoming suffocating. "Because I felt like I owed you at least _this _for coming all the way out here." Elsa motioned around the small coffee shop, then ran a nervous hand through her hair.

She knew Emma was slowly getting to her, and that only made the blonde want to scarf down the rest of her drink and get the hell out of there. Her anger was subsiding and was turning apologetic, which she knew would lead to guilt, and then...

"I need to go." Elsa said suddenly, standing up and wrapping her purse around her arm. She said nothing as she whisked out of the cafe, trying to reach her car before Emma called...

"Elsa!"

The blonde mentally shook her head as she raced faster, unaware that Emma had literally been running to catch up to her.

"Elsa wait!"

Emma grabbed the blonde's arm and whirled her around. Before Elsa could even react, Emma's lips were crashing into hers, pulling her into a tight embrace, her mouth moving heatedly against the blonde's unsuspecting lips.

Elsa wanted to pull away, she _needed _ to pull away, but couldn't. She missed her. She missed her scent, her taste, the way their lips and tongues moved perfectly together in a dance that only they knew. She draped her arms lazily over Emma's shoulders while the brunette's hands clutched her waist, just like they always did. It was familiar, it was comfortable, and Elsa wanted more.

"So," Emma whispered huskily into Elsa's mouth, then kissed her again. "Rumor has it you don't have a coach."

Elsa pulled away and shook her head, "No, don't even go there."

"Why not?" Emma pouted, her lip jutting out in an unattractive fashion. Elsa always _hated _when she did that.

"Because my father will be here next weekend with a possible candidate. _You _can't be here."

"You're 18 now Elsa, your father doesn't have to make all the rules anymore."

Elsa blinked for a moment, then stepped back, her arms slipping from Emma's shoulders, her back hitting her BMW. "Wait, is that why you're here?"

Emma blinked, not understanding the younger girl's reaction. "Yes, actually." She closed the space between them, and Elsa slipped to the side, getting closer to the drivers door. "You're your own woman now. Your father doesn't have to call the shots anymore."

"I live in _his house _Emma, this is _his _car, he has supported me his entire life, this isn't our 'Runaway Plan 2.0',"

"I'm not asking it to be," the brunette took Elsa's hands, then lifted one of them slowly, grazing her lips across her knuckles. "The national championship is in two months. I can stay here, coach you on the side, and we can win this." Emma kissed Elsa's hand finally, "Your mother left you a lot of money, and now you can finally tap into it. You don't _need _your father, and I can be here, and together we can go all the way, see this through." Taking a deep breath, Emma released both of Elsa's hands and shoved her own into her coat pockets. "I know it's a lot to think about, so I'm going to give you some time. I'm staying at the lodge down the road, and I'm leaving Friday."

Elsa watched the elder girl step away from her, each breath creating puffs of steam that drifted from her lips and dissipated into the air. "I'll leave," she said finally, "Unless you give me a reason to stay." Emma smiled sadly then turned around, taking quick steps to her rental car, desperate to get out of the cold.

Elsa stood, her back against her car as she watched Emma drive away. She didn't realize she was shaking her head, her mind at a complete loss as she digested Emma's words.

_She wants me to disown my father. She wants to coach me again._

_No._

_She wants to make this work. To make us work._

Elsa slipped into her car finally, her hands shaking as she turned the engine over and drove out of the parking lot. Her mind was racing, tears threatening to spill out of her eyes as she made her way through unfamiliar streets, to her father's house on the lake. Every time she had cried since she had come to Arendelle, she felt guilty. Her thoughts always instantly went to Anna, who had the entire world on her shoulders, fate cursing her and throwing every curve life could possibly have. It wasn't fair for her, and she was in no place to shed tears over an ex.

Elsa took a deep breath when she pulled onto her street, letting the air out slowly when she approached her father's home. That air quickly turned stale when the blonde noticed two figures standing on _her_ doorstep, wrapped in each other's arms. Elsa blinked, recognizing Anna instantly, and it took a moment for the other figure to come into view.

When the elder girl pulled into her driveway, the pair suddenly became aware of their surroundings, and Elsa saw _Hans _push away, give a small wave to Anna and rush down the steps, disappearing into a raised Ford F-150 and speeding off without a second glance.

* * *

Author:

So this entire chapter, the only thought on my mind was, "What kind of douchy car would Hans drive?"

And my second thought being, "I just want to make you all feel miserable!" :p...half kidding on that one!

And thank you for the ecstatic reviews, most of which have been in all-caps, proclaiming extreme distaste towards Emma and the excitement towards her eventual demise. I love reading them, they seriously make my day, so keep it up fellow Elsannians!


	12. Chapter 12

Elsa didn't bother pulling her car into the garage and quickly cut off the engine, hopping out of her BMW and making her way up the steps, careful to avoid tripping on the snow.

"Anna!" She called, trying to appear friendly, as if she didn't see anything, as if she was totally fine and OK with what went down just a moment before.

Anna was on edge, fumbling with her keys, her face red, Elsa not sure if it was from the cold or the fact that she caught her sharing saliva with someone she blatantly told her was trouble and to avoid at all costs.

Not that she was in any place to judge at the moment.

"Hey Elsa!" Anna finally managed, her keys under control as she unlocked the front door. "Uhm, sorry about that, I wasn't expecting-"

Elsa shook her head, forcing a friendly smile, "It's OK, you don't need to explain."

Both girls entered the home and Elsa shut the door behind them, trying to block out the cold. Anna finally looked at her then, her eyes traveling across her features. "Hans and I went to a movie, and I didn't know the night was going to end that way," she said sheepishly, her face almost blank with emotion.

And this was the part where Elsa was supposed to ask, 'What did you see?' or 'How did it go?' but she already knew the answer to the latter. She was flaring with jealousy, instantly hating Hans and his loud truck with over-sized tires, yet here she was coming back from a date with her ex.

"How was your mom today?" the blonde finally asked, wishing to take the subject off anything that involved significant others.

Anna smiled, "She's doing great actually. We did some online apartment hunting today and it looks like I'll be out of your hair soon enough. I'm going to scout some places tomorrow and make a final decision."

"Oh, that's great!" Elsa attempted, her voice thick as she tried to appear enthusiastic.

Anna wanted to ask Elsa about her coffee-date with Emma, but she already knew. The blonde was unaware that she had lipstick smeared across the bottom half of her face, and when Elsa first walked up to her on the doorstep, she smelled different, not like the usual vanilla mint that wafted around her, but a strong floral perfume.

"Well, uhm, I'm gunna go to bed," the auburn shrugged, showing off her teeth in an apologetic smile before turning away, "Good night Elsa."

"'Night," Elsa breathed, watching her ascend the stairs and disappear into her room. She waited a moment before following suit, only instead passing Anna's door and walking towards her own room and making her way to the bathroom. When she glanced at her reflection in the mirror, her face turned red, hands shooting up to her skin, tracing the outlines of her's and Emma's lipstick smeared across her mouth.

Tears pricked at her eyes as she realized that Anna saw this, and Anna _knew _yet said nothing. The blonde covered her mouth with her hand and slid to the floor, trying to hold back sobs as she took deep, shaky breaths.

_What the hell am I doing?_

* * *

The rest of the week continued with little to no contact between Anna and Elsa. They fell back into their schedules, Anna visiting her mother in the morning, then hanging out with Hans once he was out of school, always coming home around midnight. Elsa stayed swamped with school and practice, Emma making appearances and replacing the tracklist Anna made for her with a cello solo of Scheherazade that Emma had recorded herself. They also went out for coffee frequently (Emma refused to step foot in Snow's coffee shop again, and they would have to drive out of town for Starbucks). Emma also stayed late for a movie once, where they made out like a couple of preteens, completely oblivious to the romantic comedy playing on the TV.

"It's a little slower, but I made some adjustments to the music so it will match your routine better." Emma had explained at Elsa's most recent practice, the sound of Emma's cello blaring over the speakers.

Elsa sighed yet listened, closing her eyes, going through her routine mentally as she stood in place over the ice. Emma couldn't help but let her eyes trail over the girl's body when Elsa wasn't paying attention, and luckily for her she liked to think it was part of her job anyway.

Elsa opened her eyes, no longer listening to the music, and Emma unaware that she was staring at her.

"You aren't my coach Emma," she reminded, skating closer to the wall that separated them.

Emma smirked at this and reached for Elsa's gloved hand, "I know, I'm really just here for you." she shrugged then, and peeled back part of her glove to plant a kiss on her knuckles. "I can't help but slip back into old habits when I'm around you."

Elsa returned her hand and skated away, getting a feel for the music, practicing her movements. Emma watched her briefly, then called out, "I have a few things I need to take care of back at the lodge. Will you be OK by yourself tonight?"

Elsa nodded from across the ice, engrossed in her routine, which was all Emma needed to pick up her purse and leave.

The blonde continued to practice, flying across the ice, blocking out all sounds and music, singing to herself, completely unaware of the two figures sitting high up in the stands, watching her closely.

"_But I still haven't found what I'm looking for..._"

"She's probably one of the best skaters I've ever seen here," Maurice commented, taking a long sip of coffee from his tumbler. The older man pulled at his white mustache thoughtfully, "She reminds me of a certain little fiery ice skater..." he nudged the girl next to her, which caused both pairs to laugh.

Anna smiled, "Oh please, I was awful at figure skating and you know it!"

Maurice laughed, handing his tumbler over to Anna who took a swig gratefully. Black coffee. Whew.

"She has the grace and technicality, but she's missing the emotion. Funny enough you had the emotion but lacked the grace and technicality."

The auburn snorted, "Which is why dad put me in hockey. Trust me, I belong in hockey skates."

The man lifted a bushy eyebrow, "I bet you could still put on a pair of figure skates and teach young Elsa there a thing or two."

Anna shook her head, crossing her arms across her chest in a pout. "I don't do toe-picks."

Maurice chuckled and rose from his spot, stretching his back slowly, "You used to, and you were quite good, falling and body-slamming the other contestants when they teased you, aside."

The auburn gave a toothy grin, "Dad was so proud."

"We're all still very proud." Maurice ruffled Anna's hair and took back his tumbler. "And you're OK closing shop tonight? I don't want you jumping back into work too early kiddo."

Anna gave a small smile, "You know how much I like being here, it's like...Dad is with me."

Maurice nodded and sniffed, his eyes watering slightly. "Me too kiddo, me too."

The man gave a final hair-ruffle and turned away, ungracefully stomping down a few steps. He stopped though, eyes on Elsa for a moment as she twisted into a simple double and landed perfectly. He turned around and gave Anna one last look, "Help her _feel _Anna." And with that, he shoved his hands in his pockets and descended the rest of the stairs, belly jiggling with each step. He was causing such a racket that Elsa glanced upward at the source of the sound, and was surprised when Maurice made his way down the stands and left the building without a second glance. She looked around questioningly, slightly startled that Maurice would leave the rink unattended. Maybe there was a new hire that she didn't know about?

Elsa skated backwards and circled the ice, her eyes first on the office, where the lights were off, then searching the stands. Once she caught eyes with a certain auburn-haired girl at the top-level, her heart soared. She hadn't _really _seen Anna for days, and the sight of her, sitting there casually, looking her way, made a small smile tug at her lips.

"Anna..." she whispered, not nearly loud enough for the girl to hear. Elsa shook her head, laughing at herself, then called louder. "Anna! Come down!"

Anna was surprised by Elsa's acknowledgement and nervously made her way down the stands. Her thoughts were swarming, for they had barely spoken that entire week, and Maurice's final cryptic message made her wonder what the hell that old man was talking about.

"Hey Elsa," Anna said shyly as she walked up the wall. Elsa was already waiting for and was trying not to smile to broadly.

"Hi," the blonde responded, feeling a bit jumpy. "I didn't know you were going to be here tonight."

Anna shrugged, "Yeah, I needed to talk to Maurice about the Zamboni." Anna scratched the back of her neck, "I actually didn't know you were going to be here. Did your schedule change?"

Elsa was disappointed at that last comment but tried not to show it. Was Anna avoiding her?

"Yeah, Emma made a few changes, switched out one day for another, nothing crazy."

"Oh, that's nice."

Both girls stood there in awkward silence, Emma's cello solo blaring in the background.

"So Rimsky-Korsakov, eh?" Anna asked, pointing to the speakers above them, "Nice choice."

Elsa raised an eyebrow at that, "Are you familiar with the Russian romances?" she asked, picking her words carefully.

"I actually did a routine to Scheherazade when I was younger, though it was a little faster than this." Anna listened then, and finally nodded. "Yes, _much _faster."

"Wait, you used to skate? _Figure_ skate?"

The younger girl shrugged. "Yeah, it was part of the deal. My mom put me in figure-skating first, but I was pretty awful at it. After a few years she finally caved and allowed me to play hockey."

Elsa placed her hands on her hips and pushed herself closer to the barrier. "I bet you're not as awful as you think."

"Trust me, it's pretty bad."

"Prove me wrong then."

Anna had a retort ready to spring back, but wasn't expecting that response. She paused, her eyes locked on Elsa's, and nervously ran a hand through her hair. "Wait," she said, swallowing, "Are you serious?"

Elsa nodded and pushed herself off the wall, floating backwards. "Come skate with me, unless you're chicken."

Anna's jaw dropped slightly as she watched Elsa spin and skate in circles. She didn't know Elsa was even _capable_ of taunting, and found this sassy side of the blonde amusing.

"Fine!" Anna crossed her arms over her chest, lifting her chin. When Elsa placed a hand on her hip, the young girl realized that _standing there _wasn't going to do any good. "Oh, right. Be right back."

Anna escaped to the locker room and dug through her locker to find her Under Armour compression pants and top, what she typically wore underneath her hockey uniform. She had no intention of skating in jeans and and over-sized hoodie, so she stripped down, tossing her clothes into a pile and stretching on the tight black fabric. Her hair was a bit of a matted mess, so she tossed it up into a messy pony tail, pulled on some simple knitted gloves and was just about ready.

The auburn grabbed a pair of scuffed figure skates from the rentals area as she made her way back to the rink. She was stupidly nervous, and fumbled with her laces as she tried to tie them.

"Everything OK over there?" Elsa called from the rink, seeing the top of Anna's head from over the barrier.

"Fine! _Just fine._" She called back sarcastically, giving her laces a final pull then yanking off the guards and delicately stepping onto the ice.

It took a moment for Elsa to even realize that it was _Anna _standing there, looking extremely feminine, her messy hair framing her face, and not a single curve of her body left to the imagination. She was so used to seeing her in hoodies and jeans that she didn't realize how absolutely _stunning _she was. Her face grew hot as she watched Anna get a feel for the skates on her ankles, then push off gracefully, taking a lap around the ice. Elsa could see her toned arms and legs flex under the material as she skated, and the girl suddenly realized she hadn't been breathing.

"Stop staring, you're freaking me out," Anna called, keeping her focus forward as she skated on the edge, picking up speed.

Elsa blinked, "I'm not staring."

Anna slid to a stop, her gloved hands on her hips as she eyed the skater in front of her. "_You _Ms. Halvorsen, are a liar."

Elsa gave the auburn a sideways glance, her face turning serious. "As are you, Ms. Fredricksen."

Anna skated closer to her, her expression changing to confusion as her hands left her hips, now crossed in front of her. "How so?"

Elsa skated backwards, inching away from her, as if afraid of what Anna would say once she brought up the subject. "You said Hans was dangerous."

The younger girls' face reddened as she let out a heavy sigh. "Listen, about Hans..."

"-You don't have to explain," Elsa cut her off, wanting to desperately skate away.

"No, I _want _to explain."

"Listen Anna," the blonde was wringing her hands out, her eyes everywhere but looking at the girl in front of her, "If you wanted to be with Hans, you didn't have to lie about it. I know he was trying to talk to me, but I wasn't interested anyway, he was always yours."

It took a moment for Anna to translate what Elsa was saying, and as her mind reeled, the repeated cello track swelled in momentum behind them. It was distracting, and beautiful, and haunting, and Anna instantly hated it.

Elsa laughed at Anna's silence, a sad, bitter sound as she made circles around the girl. "And you have Kristoff, have you not noticed?" When Anna looked at her questioningly, Elsa could only shake her head. "He's head over heels for you! He would do _anything _for you Anna. And Mulan, your closest friend, you just completely shut her out, shut _everyone _out, just so you can date this total _prick."_

"Hans isn't..." Anna tried to defend him, tried to defend herself, but her words fell flat. She knew Elsa was right, but how could she explain? How could she explain how lonely she has felt the moment Emma stepped back into Elsa's life? How with her father gone, and her mother in the hospital, she had never felt so alone in her entire life? How when she and Elsa were together, those few, sweet moments before Emma came, it was the only time everything felt right in the world? The only time she felt truly wanted?

"I'm just..." Anna tried to think, but Emma's cello was pounding in her ears, as if mocking her, reminding her where her place was. "God this _fucking _music! How can you stand it?"

Elsa stared in shock, confused by Anna's sudden outburst. The auburn shook her head as she skated to the edge of the rink, reaching for her phone and overriding the PA. She played the first album she had been listening to earlier in the car, U2's Joshua Tree, and let out a sigh of relief when rhythm guitars began to play through the speakers.

Anna took another deep breath, her back to Elsa, and placed the phone slowly down on the ledge.

"I'm sorry, you probably think I'm crazy." Anna turned around then, her hands clutched in front of her, her face flushed in embarrassment. "I just can't have you _and _Emma judging me at the same time." Anna pointed to the speakers, referring to the classical music that was blaring through them only moments before.

"I- I'm not meaning to judge. I'm sorry, what I said was completely out of line."

"Maybe," Anna sighed, pushing herself towards to blonde, "...but you're right. Hans _is _a total prick."

Elsa skated closer to her, and they stood there in the center of the rink, only a small reach apart. "Then why are you with him?"

Anna looked at the confusion in Elsa's eyes and gave a challenging smile, "Why are you with Emma?"

"Please Anna, I don't want to talk about Emma." Elsa took Anna's hands then and pushed backwards, pulling Anna with her. Anna let Elsa drag her for a moment, then kicked off the ice, closing the distance between them. Elsa caught her in an embrace, Anna twisting in her arms as they skated in unison, the elder girl leading them cross the ice.

"I don't know why I'm with Hans," Anna said honestly, her arm on Elsa's shoulder as Elsa's hand slipped to support her lower back. "I thought that being with him would..." At a loss for words, Anna attempted to push away, but the moment she was out of Elsa's grip, Elsa reached for her hand and pulled her back again, placing both of her hands on the girls waist, not intending on letting her escape again.

"I thought he would make me feel less alone," Anna managed, their hands trailing across each other, their fingers on fire as they reached for each others hands, holding tight in a waltz.

Elsa spun with Anna, her grip on the younger girl's hand unrelenting as she pulled her closer. Elsa said nothing for a moment as she repeated her words again in her mind, watching fly-aways from Anna's hair stick to her forehead. Without a second thought, Elsa released her waist and reached for them, her finger grazing across her skin, pushing the strands out of Anna's eyes.

"I don't want you to feel alone," Elsa said then, watching Anna carefully as the music continued to hum in the background.

_I have run..._

Anna's eyes began to water as they lapped the rink again, Elsa releasing her for a moment so she could face forward, then caught up, Anna's hand snaking behind Elsa's neck as Elsa reached for the small of her back again.

_I have crawled..._

"I don't know how," Anna whispered, allowing the blonde to push her from behind.

_I have scaled these city walls, these city walls..._

Elsa craned her neck forward, her head nuzzled where Anna's shoulder met her neck. She took a deep breath, Anna's scent and touch intoxicating, the warmth of her body pressing hard against her and sending her mind reeling.

_Only to be with you..._

Anna slipped from Elsa's grip, maintaining speed and skating backwards so she was facing her. She looked so sad, tears threatening to spill over, and Elsa felt as if her heart was being torn from her chest. Without another moments hesitation, the elder girl reached for her hands again, desperate for her touch, and led them back around her neck.

_Only to be with you..._

The tears finally fell, and Anna tried to blink the tears away. "Why do I feel like this?" she whispered hoarsely, her eyes swimming with fear of the unknown. "Why are you doing this to me?"

_But I still haven't found what I'm looking for._

Elsa reached for Anna's face, brushing a tear away with her thumb and leaned in. Their foreheads touched, then their noses, and finally Elsa placed both hands on Anna's cheeks before leading her lips to her own.

* * *

Author:

You should totally listen to U2's "Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" (or Glee's version) while reading this chapter.

Wait, you read it already.

Shit.

And sorry for some of the spelling/grammatical errors. I have a tendency to post chapters before proofreading them, which is awful, I know, but I get so excited for the all-caps reviews you post expressing extreme hatred towards me :p

"IHATEYOUIHATEYOUIHATEYOUIHATEYOUIHATEYOUIHATEYOUIHATEYOUIHATEYOUIHATEYOU" - Nik the Dinosaur

"IMMA KEEL YOU." - cgr100

"I HATE CHU, I HATE CHU!" - Yuiiub

"YOU ARE HORRIBLE. YOU ARE FUCKING HORRIBLE" - OneShotMasta (always so quotable, love you darlin')

And this one just makes me giggle: "What the Frick frack patty whack yip yack catty sack burnt toast and green ham on my mother's god dAMNed ass" - Lesbinope

Oh! And thank you catsmelt and nfzztffn for catching those pesky errors : )


	13. Chapter 13

The two girls coasted to a stop, Anna's hands sliding from Elsa's neck to her arms, hoping her balance on figure skates was significantly better than her own. When their lips finally met, the elder girl was gentle, full lips hovering over Anna's for just a moment, not to tease, but to fully enjoy and savor the moment. Finally, she leaned in, closing all distance and moved her mouth slowly against hers. The auburn's grip on her arms grew tighter as she leaned slightly on her toes, eternally grateful for the toe picks that kept her from flying forward, and made a quick mental decision that figure skates really weren't all _that _bad.

Anna skimmed her tongue over Elsa's bottom lip, and instead of Elsa allowing entrance, she took the opportunity to follow, mimicking the younger girl at first, then grabbing her upper lip with her teeth. Anna giggled, a small, high-pitched sound that made Elsa pull away, a look of complete adoration on her face.

"What?" Anna asked, her smile still standing as she reached for Elsa's shirt and pulled her closer.

Elsa looked down on Anna, her blue eyes sparkling as she took a strand of auburn hair and brushed it out of her face. "Du betyr så mye for meg," she whispered, trailing a finger down Anna's ear and neck, sending shivers up the younger girl's spine.

Anna leaned in again and caught Elsa's bottom lip, then grazed her tongue across her teeth when the blonde's mouth opened in surprise.

"I don't know what you just said," Anna breathed, hot air passing between them before diving in again. This time Elsa didn't let her get the upper hand and kicked herself forward, hands flat on Anna's taught stomach as she backed her up against the barrier.

"Let me _show _you then," Elsa grinned, her voice husky as she pressed herself against her, finally having some leverage and able to get dangerously close. Their chests rose and fell in unison and their breathing quickened, Anna desperately wanting to feel Elsa's cool, milky skin beneath her lips. She trailed her mouth across Elsa's jawline and down her neck, where her teeth nipped at the sensitive skin. The elder girl chuckled when Anna's lips returned to her, and she caught them with a heated kiss, her hands sliding from Anna's stomach and following the curves of her body, trailing desperate fingers to her back, then over her ass. Anna yelped in surprise when Elsa grabbed a handful and hoisted her onto the edge of the barrier, inviting herself into Anna's space.

Anna's mind was clouded with nothing but Elsa. Her scent, her touch, her taste, and each breathy sound she made heated the girl's core, and a foreign, carnal need she had never felt before was trying to push through. Her fingers unraveled Elsa's hair, her hands getting lost in the loose platinum waves that fell on the elder girl's shoulders. Each tug of their lips and suck of their tongue became increasingly feverish, and Elsa couldn't keep her hands from trailing up Anna's muscular thighs, frustrated with the fabric that separated her hands from Anna's freckled skin. She clawed her nails up Anna's sensitive skin to her stomach, her fingers slowly inching under the tight fabric of her shirt.

A small moan escaped Anna's throat when cold fingers met bare skin, both girls shivering at the sudden contact. Elsa's hands continued to slide up, feeling her way to Anna's bra, her fingers barely poking underneath the lacy fabric.

Anna's breath hitched and trembled at the tender touch, and this seemed to break Elsa out of her trance. The blonde pulled away abruptly and slid her hands back down, gripping the girls thighs as she breathed heavily, avoiding the younger girl's gaze.

Disappointment turned to concern as Anna leaned down, her hands trailing from Elsa's hair to her chin, and gently lifted, forcing Elsa to look at her. Her eyes, which were darkened with lust a moment before, were now cloudy and full of something Anna couldn't identify. "Hey..." she said softly, "Where'd you go?" she asked, referring to her sudden demeanor change as a smile tugged at her lips.

"Anna..." Elsa swallowed, breathing heavily. "...if I don't stop now, I never will."

"I'm OK with that," she said softly, her fingers trailing Elsa's cheek and tucking a strand of platinum hair behind her ear.

When Elsa's eyes fell back to the ice, the auburn sighed and slipped herself off the wall, forgetting about the toe-picks and flying forward. Luckily, Elsa was ready and caught her gracefully in an embrace, a small laugh escaping her lips as she wrapped her arms tighter around the girl.

"Damnit, sorry..." Anna apologized, trying to get her feet back under her and pulling away.

Elsa instantly regretted letting her go and gave a small smile, "It's OK, I think I'm the one who should be apologizing anyway."

The auburn blinked curiously, "Wait, why?"

Elsa pushed backwards away from Anna, and naturally the younger girl followed.

"Because..." she was at a loss for words and wrung out her hands nervously. She liked Anna, _a lot_, but her life was a complete mess, with her training, her father, and _Emma, _she couldn't have timed it any worse.

"Because you're going through a lot right now, and this, and me, and my feelings, and my baggage is probably the last thing you want to deal with."

Anna skated up to her, shaking her head. "This is what I like about _you_ Elsa," she waved her arms around the rink to make her point, "...you, your feelings, your baggage, it's all part of you." The auburn planted a quick kiss on her lips, "And you give pretty awesome hugs too."

"...that wasn't a hug back there, that was me saving your ass." Elsa smiled wickedly.

"What? Are you serious?" Anna pulled away, feigning surprise. "You're the one who put me up on that ledge to begin with!"

"Don't pretend you didn't like it."

"You grabbing my ass or the ass-saving hug?"

"Both."

Anna's toe-pick nicked the ice and she was sent flying forward again, but this time she was able to catch herself on the wall. Elsa could only giggle next to her, unable to contain a grin.

"You know, I was doing just fine until you turned all _sassy _on me," Anna complained as she straightened herself.

Elsa paused, reaching for Anna again and pulling her towards her. "You think I'm sassy?"

"Ja," Anna whispered in an exaggerated Norwegian accent, the girl's face flushing slightly as Elsa'a hands returned to her waist. Anna couldn't help her fingers from sliding up the elder girl's arms, then placing themselves firmly behind her neck. "...og vakker."

Elsa bit her bottom lip, her cheeks blushing. "I...really want to kiss you again," she said shyly.

"Well, _I'm _not going to stop you," Anna grinned, but looked down when her skate caught on the ice again. "But I seriously need to get out of these things, my feet are _killing _me."

Elsa placed a gentle finger under Anna's chin to lift her gaze and kissed her one last time. She let her lips rest on hers, unmoving, simply enjoying the close proximity. "Ok," she whispered into her mouth finally, then pulling away, "..._now_ you can."

Anna rolled her eyes, "Well thank you for the permission Your Majesty," the girl gave a mock bow and sneaked a final kiss before stepping off the ice, expecting Elsa to follow. When she didn't, Annal turned around questioningly, her hands instantly wanting to reach for the girl. "You coming or what?"

Elsa smiled and skated backwards, "I just need a few more minutes for a warm down, if that's OK."

"Tell me about it," Anna giggled and stuck out her tongue which Elsa so graciously returned. She then wasted no time as she kicked off the skates and began to coast around in her socks, moving her toes to get the feeling back in them as Elsa twisted her hair into a loose bun and continued to skate across the ice.

Behind her, Anna heard the door to the rink swing open, the small bells her father had installed on the rails years ago ringing. Panic erupted in her gut as she imagined Emma gracefully gliding into the rink, and she didn't dare turn around.

_Don't panic, don't panic. Act natural, it's totally cool. I totally wasn't making out with Elsa a few minutes ago, I'm just here 'cause I work here. Shit, is there lipstick on my face? No, Elsa's not wearing any. Wait, why am I freaking out? This is MY rink goddamnit, Emma can't control me here._

"Hello," said a kind voice, and Anna instantly swiveled around, surprised to find the voice masculine, belonging to that of a taller older man with light brown hair and bright eyes.

The man smiled, "Sorry to interrupt, but I'm looking for a Ms. Fredricksen, the owner?"

Anna blushed, glancing down at her un-matching socks, then back at the man's face. "I'm she! I mean, her, or whatever..._hii._" internally cringing, she removed her glove and held out her hand for a shake, trying on her most endearing smile. "I'm Anna Fredricksen."

The man looked at her in surprise for a moment before finally taking her hand, "Hello Anna, my name's Alexander Halvorsen, we've spoken a few times on the phone."

Anna's eyebrows shot up, "Yes! Mr. Halvorsen! You're Elsa's father, it's a pleasure to finally meet you." Anna glanced behind her and Alexander's gaze followed, both of them watching the skater gliding across the ice, the girl completely unaware of their presence.

The man smiled warmly at the younger girl, his focus returning to her, "And you're the one who's staying with Elsa for a short time, yes?"

Anna bit her lower lip, "Uh, yes. Not for much longer though, promise. She, I mean, you both, have been really kind to me, and I can't thank you enough."

"She missed a few practices because of you," he said, but his eyes twinkled as his focus returned to his daughter. "But it looks like she's back on track. I hope you can help keep her focused for me for the remainder of your stay. She made it very clear that she likes you and has found you to be a positive influence, otherwise she wouldn't have been so demanding on letting you stay."

"Uh, yes?" Anna wasn't sure how to respond. She couldn't tell if he was being insulting, or if this was his way of a backhanded compliment. Instead she turned around with him and watched Elsa flawlessly complete a triple-toe. She was smiling, and the younger girl couldn't help but smile as well.

Alexander chuckled and moved forward, calling his daughters name. Elsa stopped suddenly in surprise, and Anna watched her head snap to the source of voice, fear etching into her features for a short moment before she relaxed, an easy smile forming on her face. "Father!" she called, her eyes then roaming behind him and locking with Anna's with a moment. Anna smiled and shrugged, trying to signal that everything appeared to be OK, and Elsa grinned in return.

Elsa skated to the wall where her father put a heavy hand on her shoulder, "You look amazing out there. You look ready."

She smiled up and him, then her eyes averted to Anna. "I am ready," she said, her smile reaching her eyes.

"Do you mind running through the routine? I would love to see how far you've progressed." Alexander paused, then turned around, "...as long as Ms. Fredricksen doesn't mind, I'm sure you want to close up."

Anna shrugged. "Oh you're fine, I don't mind at all."

Elsa let out a nervous laugh, "Nice try father, but not yet. We're still working on the music and ironing out the final kinks."

Alexander raised his eyebrow. "_We're_?"

Elsa's smooth demeanor instantly disintegrated at her slip, and Anna noticed it instantly.

"Yeah, Elsa and I," Anna interjected, literally stepping between Elsa and her father. "We've been working on a variation of Scheherazade, it's practically finished."

The man could only blink in confusion, "I see. Well, it looks like I will have to wait until Nationals to see it then."

Elsa finally stepped off the ice and began to untie her skates, "Wait, what do you mean? Aren't you staying?"

Alexander sighed heavily, "Unfortunately no, I leave tomorrow."

"But, you just got here! What about the new coach?"

The man sighed heavily and said nothing, which confirmed Elsa's fears. He didn't find her a new coach, and that would make it more challenging to get Emma to leave.

"I just flew in and I have a cab waiting for me outside. I'll be staying at the lodge down the road, and i'll see you tomorrow at your scheduled practice."

Elsa's head snapped up, terror forming in her gut. Emma was staying at the lodge, what if he saw her?

"Father, that's silly, just stay at the house tonight." She pulled her coat and boots out of her duffel bag and began to pull the layers on, her attention

"I've already checked in, no need to waste the money now." Alexander patted his daughter's shoulder when she finally stood and smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow."

And that was the end of the conversation.

Elsa hid her disappointment as her father strode away, nodding to Anna before exiting the rink.

Silence followed, Elsa clutching the strap of her duffel bag, confusion etched into her features.

"So...that's your dad." Anna attempted, stepping closer to the elder girl.

_Duh, obviously. Way to go Anna._

"I need to text Emma and warn her."

Anna paused, trying to hold whatever expression she currently had plastered on her face as Elsa pulled out her phone and began to jab at the screen. She stared at her, trying to understand what had just happened, why Elsa was even _bothering _with a text message, especially when she didn't want Emma around her coaching anyway.

Right?

She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs. Let Emma get caught! That's what she deserves for leaving you!

But instead, Anna sighed.

"I'm going to grab my stuff real quick," she murmured, and before Elsa could respond, Anna was shuffling into the depths of the rink towards the locker rooms. She didn't even bother to remove her Under Armour and pulled her jeans and hoodie over them, her mind racing, frustrated and flustered as she wrestled with her clothes.

_Elsa still has feelings for her. Of course she does, how could she not? Emma was a huge part of her life..._

With her hoodie finally over her head, Anna stood there for a moment in silence, taking deep breaths and trying to calm her thoughts. Once she felt collected, she returned to the entrance, shutting off lights along the way.

Elsa stood there, her hair glowing in the remaining lights of the rink, half of her face hidden in shadow. Her phone was back in her duffle, and she waited patiently for Anna to come closer.

"Anna, I'm sorry," she began, reaching out for the girl's arm. "I know what you're thinking, but you need to understand. Emma has already been through so much, and has risked a lot to be here. The least I can do is protect her from my father for one day."

Anna nodded, "I know, I get it," and tried to walk past her, but the skater held her arm firmly and turned her around.

"I can see it in your eyes, you don't approve."

Anna brushed her bangs out of her eyes. "It's not my place Elsa, you don't need approval from me."

Elsa placed a hand on Anna's other arm and pulled her closer, "But I _want _your approval." Elsa was suddenly frustrated with herself and released her arms. "I _really _like you Anna, but I don't know what to do. I haven't felt like this..." the blonde trailed off, wringing out her hands nervously. Anna raised an eyebrow and Elsa turned away, embarrassed at how flustered she was.

"I like you," she tried again, running a nervous hand through her hair, slowly turning around to face Anna again.

The younger girl had her arms crossed over her chest, but once she saw how much Elsa was struggling, her barrier faded. Anna took a step forward and wrapped her arms around the blonde, squeezing her tightly. Both girls stood there, eyes closed, slowly breathing in each others scent. Anna was taken by surprise when Elsa snuggled closer to her, her shoulders shaking slightly and felt a wetness trickle down her neck.

"Elsa, Oh my god...don't cry!" Anna latched onto the elder girl's arms and pulled away, trying to catch the blonde's gaze.

"I'm sorry, I'm just a mess." Elsa sniffed, then instantly regretted the words that came out of her mouth and shook her head, "I mean...god, you're the one who should be crying right now. This is nothing compared to what you've been going through."

"Hey," Anna lifted Elsa's chin and wiped a tear away. "You're allowed to be upset, you're allowed to cry. We're both going through a lot right now, and I think..." Anna paused, trying to find the correct way to word what she wanted to say. "I think we can help each other get through this."

Elsa smiled and reached for Anna's hand, squeezing it tightly, "I would like that."

* * *

Author:

Sorry guys, I took the chapter down for like, 20 minutes so I could rewrite the last few paragraphs, the original ending wasn't sitting well with me.

Loving your angry and violent reviews as always : )

Du betyr så mye for meg = You mean so much to me

Ja = Yes

og vakker = and beautiful


	14. Chapter 14

_Hans: anna! lets hang out 2night :x_

_Hans: anna_

_Hans: anna_

_Hans: anna_

_Anna: Jesus Hans, shut the fuck up._

_Hans: u luv it :p_

_Hans: come over_

_Hans: plz_

_Hans: anna_

_Anna: I really can't tonight, I start school again next week and I have too much to catch up on._

_Hans: ohhh cmon. i can help u?_

_Anna: Do you know Norwegian? Or Geometry? European History?_

_Hans: ...i can help u with ur...u kno ;p_

Anna groaned and flopped backwards on the bed, tossing her phone onto the nightstand in the process and covering her face with her arms. She knew _exactly _what Hans was looking for, and she instantly regretted giving in to him the week prior. Hans had been her first real boyfriend when she was a Freshman, and while he had broken her heart, there were still parts of the old Hans that were still in him somewhere. He may act like a total douche in group settings, but there was his sentimental side that only she knew about.

Anna and Hans had grown up together, and she knew he was special, and wished he didn't care so much about what other people thought. He used to have a stutter when he was younger (which his older brothers teased him endlessly about), loved video games, Star Trek, and always felt small and alone with his family. Anna crushed on him hard, and she couldn't wait to be a Freshman and finally be able to hang out with him on the high school level. He was a year older than her, and when Anna finally entered high school he already had built himself quite the reputation, one Anna refused to believe. But even after multiple warning from her friends, they began to date, and when he cheated on her shortly after, she knew the old Hans was gone, but could never admit to herself that he was gone forever.

Oversized headphones on, the girl was trying to catch up on homework, s_eriously trying, _and had all of her school books and homework from the previous week scattered around her on the bed. She was trying to focus, and had even began playing the Decemberists, hoping some slower music would help her. But her phone was blowing up, and when it buzzed a final time, Anna pulled out the battery and tossed it onto the floor.

_There. That will hold 'em._

Legs crossed, Anna leaned up lazily on her elbows and looked at the stack of papers and books before her. Her mind kept going back to the other day when she and Elsa skated on the ice, and absentmindedly her fingers went to her lips, remembering the way Elsa's mouth moved against hers. Anna's body shivered and she tried to shoo the thoughts away, but they kept coming back full-force, her freckled cheeks blushing at the memories, and that lingering warmth returning again between her legs.

_Get your shit together Anna. _

She shook her head and pushed herself into a proper sitting position and grabbed her pencil, her brows furrowed in determination as she faced a set of numbers and triangles in her spiral notebook.

The past few days, Anna had been swamped, from homework to visiting her mother, and she really hadn't had the chance to see Elsa much. The elder girl would pass by her door occasionally, maybe lean on the frame for a second to say hi, to check on her and make sure she was OK, but with her father in town and his flight getting delayed a few days due to weather, she was spending a hefty amount of time at the rink.

Anna had practically cooped herself up inside the guest room, and had fallen asleep more than once atop of books and papers. Now it was finally Sunday evening, and she was dreading returning to school and hockey practice the next day. Sure, she didn't mind school all that much, and she missed her friends, but she would have to face Hans, and Kristoff, and everyone else who was probably going to either bombard her with questions or feel sorry for her.

A small knock came at Anna's door which she barely heard over the music.

"Hello?" she called curiously, not sure if she had imagined it or not.

A moment later the door slowly cracked open, and Elsa poked her head through. "Hi," she greeted, a small smile on her face. Anna instantly pulled her headphones off and rested them around her neck, "Hey! Sorry, I had the volume up kind of loud."

"It's alright. I tried to text you..." Elsa gently kicked the door fully open and stepped into the room, holding two to-go coffee cups. "I figured you could use a little boost with all the work you've been doing. Mocha?"

"Yes please!" Anna graciously took a cup and lifted the lid, smelling the sweet contents. "Smells like the Anna special!"

Elsa smiled and sat on the edge of her bed, "That's because it is."

Anna put the lid back and took a sip, her cheeks instantly warming with the hot liquid. "Oh my god this is so good! Thank you!" She took another sip and glanced at Elsa's cup curiously, "What did you get?"

The elder girl suddenly looked nervous, "Oh um, just a vanilla latte."

Anna raised an eyebrow, "Non-fat, sugar-free, no foam?"

"Am I really that predictable?"

The auburn blinked, surprised by the question. Elsa suddenly looked _sad _as her eyes fell to her cup which she twirled in her hands nervously.

"No Elsa, you're really not." Anna leaned forward but was too far to touch her. "You can't be drinking triple mochas with nationals so close, I totally get it. Though to be honest, you look really great."

Elsa looked up at her and smiled, which Anna bit her lip nervously in response. "Uh, sorry. I'm awkward, what can I say?" Anna grinned and coughed, taking a long swig from her coffee and avoiding Elsa's gaze. "So anyway... how's your dad? Did he leave already?"

The blonde nodded wordlessly as she took a sip of coffee. "He should be landing back in Boston in a few hours."

Anna waited for Elsa to continue, but nothing else was said. "How was practice with him there?"

"Fine, he seemed happy with what he saw."

The younger girl tapped on the plastic lid of her drink thoughtfully, and decided to avoid all further conversation that involved Mr. Halvorsen. Elsa didn't seem interested in speaking about him, and Anna wasn't going to push further.

After a few moments of silence, Elsa leaned forward, gracefully taking a sip from her coffee as she did so. "What are you working on?"

Anna sighed and placed her coffee on her nightstand, grateful for the subject change. "Currently? Geometry. But math is really not my thing."

The blonde raised an eyebrow, "Need help?"

Anna laughed, "Know anything about Pythagorean Theorems?"

"a2 + b2 = c2?"

Anna's jaw dropped slightly, "Stop it. Stop being so damn smart all the time."

Elsa laughed and moved around the bed and scooted in next to the girl, careful to avoid all of her books. "I can't help it! I really like geometry."

"How can anyone really like geometry?" Anna teased, trying to cover up her excitement of Elsa being so close to her. Their knees were touching as both girls sat cross-legged at the head of the bed, and Anna could smell that sweet minty-vanilla that she used in her hair.

"I do! I think shapes are beautiful." Elsa grabbed a piece of scratch paper and with Anna's permission, began to sketch on it. At first she started with a simple hexagonal shape and began to cross lines from each corne. "The pythagorean theorem, for any right triangle with sides a and b and an hypotenuse h, the square of the hypotenuse is equal the sum of the squares of the other two sides." Elsa continued to draw, getting lost in the paper. "And I just realized you probably have no idea what I'm talking about." Elsa finished and straightened her back, showing the sketch to Anna, who could only stare slack-jawed.

"It looks like a snowflake..." She said simply, reaching at the sketch with her fingers and tracing the loose graphite on the paper. Elsa smiled and brought the paper back to her, adding long lines to each shape corner. "Geometry is everywhere, in the homes we live in and even in nature." She finished her sketch and turned the paper for Anna to see. The snowflake served as a base for a skyscraper that Elsa had sketched, complete with a setting sun and a bustling street below. The younger girl took the paper from her and stared at it in awe. "I didn't know you could draw..." Anna attempted, turning the paper around for Elsa to see her own work. "You're really really talented Elsa," She added, sincerity in her eyes.

Elsa laughed nervously, "Thanks. I used to fancy myself an architect a few years ago."

"Used to? Why did you stop?"

"I needed to stay focused on skating, plus it's a risky field, most architects don't actually build anything and become professors."

Anna leaned back on the headboard thoughtfully, "What do you want to do after you finish skating? After the Olympics?"

Elsa mimicked her, their shoulders barely touching. "_If _I make it to the Olympics," Elsa corrected, "My father wants me to go to Yale, become a lawyer, follow in his footsteps."

Anna turned her head to face her, taking her hand in her own. "Is that really what you want?"

Elsa sighed, her eyes flicking from their hands to Anna's face, "Honestly, ever since I met you, I don't know what I want anymore. Everything was so clear, and I had this set path, but now..." she paused, taking the paper from Anna's hands and glancing at it before tossing it on the bed, "I feel like I can break free from it all."

Anna grinned, "My dad always said to do what you love, and to never let anyone hold you back from your dreams."

"Yeah? What's your dream?"

Anna laughed nervously under Elsa's intense gaze. "Uhm...I actually wanted to be a composer for a long time."

Elsa had to keep her drink from spewing out her nose. This was the first parallel Elsa had ever experienced between Anna and Emma. "I didn't know you played, or could read music for that matter."

Anna refused to meet her gaze, "After you had mentioned Emma and how she had went to Berklee, I didn't want to say anything. But ultimately, I want to go to Berklee and study music production. I want to write scores for TV."

Elsa was so surprised that she shifted herself so she was facing her, her eyes wide with curiosity. "What do you play?"

The auburn laughed, "I'm going to give you three guesses, but you're only going to need one."

Elsa exhaled and released Anna's hand, bringing it to her chin in thought. "Give me a hint at least..."

"Ok ok," Anna shifted herself and faced Elsa with a grin. "When we first met, what was I doing?"

Elsa's mind drifted to the evening she first met the fiery girl. Boston had been booming through the ice rink, and Anna had been skating in full uniform around the ice, singing at the top of her lungs and using her hockey stick as an air guitar.

_Guitar, of course._

The blonde smiled then, "Guitar?"

"Classical and rock, thank you very much!" she winked and couldn't keep a smile from her face. "I also play drums, piano and the clarinet. But the guitar is my ultimate favorite, and usually when I'm writing, that's my instrument of choice."

Elsa bit her lower lip, "I would love to hear you play sometime," she said nervously, her hands clasping each other in her lap.

Anna's face instantly fell. "Well, I lost my instruments in the fire, not that I actually owned a piano or a drum kit, but my clarinet and guitars...and you know how insurance goes." She sighed heavily and shrugged, "But I promise, I'll play for your someday."

Both girls returned their backs to the headboard, Anna's handing reaching for Elsa's again and the blonde squeezing in return.

After a few moments, Elsa broke the content silence. "Anna?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you feel tied down here in Arendelle?"

Anna considered the question, a little bit surprised. "A little..." her eyes fell to their hands, Elsa interlocking their fingers. "When my dad died, everything changed." She began, "Now I'll probably go to school locally and get a business degree or something and take over the rink." She looked up at Elsa and shrugged, "I can't leave my mom here alone."

The blonde nodded, more to herself than Anna. They were both trapped, tied down by responsibility and family, something Elsa didn't understand a few months ago. She suddenly felt incredibly foolish for trying to run away from it all, for Anna had been here the whole time with the entire world on her shoulders, smiling along the way.

Elsa turned her head to face the younger girl, only to find that Anna was already looking at her. Anna gave a small smile and leaned towards her, releasing Elsa's hand and meeting her lips, almost hesitantly.

The blonde sighed into Anna's kiss and reached for her, delicate fingers tracing her hip and pulling her closer. The sound of Elsa's whispered sigh sent Anna over the edge and she intensified the kiss, her free hand slipping behind the pale girl's neck and pulling her upper body closer.

"Anna..." Elsa managed when their mouths separated for a split moment. The younger girl hummed in response, her hands trailing down Elsa's back.

"Anna, your homework," she tried again, hearing paper crinkling beneath them. The auburn shook her head and murmured "...don't care," before diving back in again.

Elsa laughed, her hands sliding over Anna's stomach, then her breasts, finally resting on her shoulders and pushed her away gently, "I'm not going to be the one responsible for you not getting your work done," she whispered.

"Says the girl who skipped out on practice _twice _to hang out with me. Clearly it's OK for me to be a distraction, but not you."

Anna was pouting, and Elsa found is absolutely adorable. She did everything in her power to keep herself from lunging forward and attacking the girl, and instead kissed her lightly. "First of all, it was _three _times," Elsa kissed her again, then pulled back reluctantly, smiling. "And second, practice isn't _school_. I would never skip out on my schoolwork."

Anna smiled lazily, "When you're nerdy it's sexy as hell, can you kiss me again?"

Elsa blushed and rolled her eyes, "Seriously Anna!"

"Ok ok..." the younger girl rolled off her, but not without sneaking in a final peck. They sat there for a moment, their breathing calming, and stared at the mess that was now across Anna's bed.

"So, let's get back to Pythagorean Theorems," Elsa said excitedly, picking up what Anna had already started and attempting to flatten the crumpled paper.

"Oh no you don't, you can't stay in here." Anna snatched the paper from her hands and held it to her chest, "I won't get anything done with you sitting next to me."

Elsa bit her lip, trying to hold back a laugh, "Oh c'mon Anna, let me help you."

"I can't tell if you're teasing me or not..."

The blonde grinned and reached for one of Anna's braids, twirling it in her fingers before planting a final kiss on the girl's nose. "I'm totally teasing," she whispered, then brought her finger to Anna's neck and trailed it down to her clavicle before finally breaking contact.

Anna laughed. "You're such a brat."

"I know."

Elsa slid from the bed and attempted to straighten some of the papers and books before Anna finally shooed her away.

Elsa was almost out the door when a question popped into her head, and she lingered in the doorframe nervously. "Hey, Anna?"

"Hmm?"

The blonde gripped her coffee, not quite understanding why she was so nervous. "Tomorrow, do you want to drive together to school?"

Anna almost burst out laughing, "Oh my gawd, it's going to be like Edward and Bella in Twilight, we're going to roll up all classy like we own the place."

Elsa blinked, "Who?"

Anna stared disbelievingly. "You know, the Twilight series? Pasty vampires? Shirtless werewolves? Stupid Bella's?"

The blonde continued to stare blankly, and Anna could only shake her head and hold back a grin.

"Just... nevermind. Really, don't even Google it, it's awful." The auburn straightened herself and nodded, "I'll totally carpool with you tomorrow."

Elsa smiled, "Great. See you in the morning."

"Night." Anna watched Elsa leaved and waited a moment before putting her headphones back on. She had no idea how she was going to get all this work done, especially with her thoughts full of Elsa and how stupidly excited she was to carpool with her the next day. Taking a deep breath, her eyes skimmed over the skyscraper drawing Elsa drew before diving into the work with new found confidence.

* * *

Elsa returned to her room and quietly shut the door. She had felt her phone vibrate in her pocket while kissing Anna, and she knew right away who it was. She almost felt guilty for the excuse she gave. Homework? Please, she could kiss that girl until dawn, but not when Emma's texts were buzzing in her pocket. Kicking off her shoes, Elsa collapsed on her bed and pulled out her phone, flipping the screen over.

_Emma: Text me when you get a second._

Dread filled Elsa's gut instantly. Did Emma know about Anna? Did her father find out about Emma being there and not tell her? She wasn't normally one to text and preferred phone conversations, and this made her nervous.

_Elsa: Hey Emma_

_Emma: Hey! Thought you had possibly gone to bed already_

_Elsa: Just about to actually_

_Emma: Oh, well, I just wanted to say thank you for the warning about your father_

_Elsa: You're welcome_

_Emma: ...and that I've missed you these last few days_

The blonde's fingers hovered over her screen. What was she supposed to say? Yeah Emma, I missed you too? But did she really? Had she thought about Emma at all since she and Anna kissed? This had to stop soon.

_Elsa: Well, I'll see you tomorrow at practice, right_

_Emma: I should be there, as long as that's OK with you._

_Elsa: My father didn't bring back a coach, and honestly, I can't do this on my own._

_Emma: It's OK, I'm here for you Elsa. Together, we're going to win this._

_Elsa: Thanks Emma, I really appreciate it._

_Emma: Now get some sleep, I don't want my little champion to be tired tomorrow ;p_

_Elsa: K, Night_

_Emma: XOXO Night Elsa :)_

Elsa placed her phone on her nightstand and laid back to the bed sighing, determination and nervousness in her eyes.

_I need to tell Emma about Anna._

* * *

Author:

I'm glad you guys are still with me!

And a million thanks to catsmelt who has taken on the role of editor. Thank you dahlin', I owe you.

"OH MY GOD I FUCKING LOVE YOU I'M SO SO SORRY I SAID I HAVE YOU BJORN I DON'T DEGREE TO EXIST THANK YOU SO MUCH" - Guest

...wut?

"JUST STAY FRIENDS WITH EMMA AND BE WITH ANNA FOR GODS SAKE ELSA YOU DUMB BITCH" - Guest

Damn, now Elsa's the dumb bitch :p

"Okay I can't get chapter 13 to load like arEE YOU FUCKING KIDDIN ME LIKE HONESTLY DID YOU TAKE IT DOWN ORNIS FAN FIC MOBILE JAVING ISSUES UGH" - Vikingemily

HAHAHHAhahahaha


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